SDSU Extension to host Food is Medicine webinar

BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State University Extension will host a Food is Medicine webinar on Jan. 22, 2026.

“Food is Medicine” is a growing movement that integrates healthful eating into health care as a tool to help prevent and manage chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes.

Gemma Bastian, assistant professor and SDSU Extension Nutrition and Health Specialist, and graduate student Olivia Husmann will lead the webinar, which will provide information on the terminology and science behind the Food is Medicine philosophy and related programs.

“We want to attract a large group of stakeholders who care about nutrition, food and health – health care providers, farmers, retailers, public health professionals, et cetera,” Bastian said.

The webinar starts at noon CST and will last one hour. It is free to attend, but registration is required to receive the Zoom link. To register, visit the SDSU Extension Events page and search “food”.

While visiting with food and nutrition leaders across South Dakota, Bastian noticed there is interest in food is medicine programming but there is not widespread familiarity. However, one of the challenges people face in building this network is South Dakota’s large geography.

Through the webinar, Bastian said she hopes to help a wider audience become familiar with the program’s terminology, while helping people who are interested in the programs to build their networks, and to offer technical support where needed.

“Over the last three years, I have met so many South Dakotans who are passionate about good nutrition and its impact on our health, and there is great work being done in many corners of our state,” Bastian said. “I hope that this intentional space to build a Food is Medicine movement that makes sense for South Dakota’s needs will help us move forward and be a state where everyone can eat healthy and thrive.”

It is a formal collaboration with the South Dakota Healthy Nutrition Collaborative, and aligns with SDSU Extension’s work with other nutrition programs like Double Up Dakota Bucks, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention High Obesity Program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Education.

For more information, contact Gemma Bastian, assistant professor and SDSU Extension Nutrition and Health Specialist.