Interview with Food Policy Expert Dr. Marion Nestle
2022-10-13 09:30 - 10:30 (America/New_York)
On October 13th, author and food policy expert Dr. Marion Nestle joined Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center Executive Director Dr. Charles Platkin to discuss Dr. Nestle’s latest book, “Slow Cooked: An Unexpected Life in Food Politics.”
Watch the interview HERE.

Transforming the Nation’s Food System: Lessons from the New Deal and Strategies for Today
2023-03-02 19:00 - 20:30
The Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center, Roosevelt House and Living New Deal’s NYC Chapter aco-hosted an expert roundtable to explore how federal policy initiatives can spur revitalization of regional agriculture, better conditions for farm and food-processing workers, more equitable food distribution, and improved nutrition for all Americans — measures that recall successful New Deal programs.
The trauma of the pandemic alone has not changed the underlying forces that have shaped the nation’s food supply chain over many decades, narrowly concentrating sources of food production, processing, and distribution. The emergency infusion of funding for SNAP benefits, food pantries, and charitable hunger-relief programs is abating, though food insecurity persists widely.
This year’s anticipated re-authorization of the federal farm bill is an opportunity to transform the nation’s food system. First enacted during the Great Depression, this omnibus statute encompasses a host of agricultural programs as well as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — the largest source of federal food assistance for low-income Americans. Recent federal actions address food supply-chain insecurity, support for small farmers, and SNAP program management.
Many of these measures resonate with successful initiatives of the New Deal era. These included hunger relief programs in rural and urban areas, including schools; construction of farm-to-market roads; rural electrification, facilities for farmer education and agricultural research; and housing for farmer resettlement. New Deal programs funded construction of urban farm market structures, some of which survive today in New York State and elsewhere.
The experts gathered for this roundtable explore current challenges and opportunities and reflect on the legacies of the New Deal for today’s policymakers. Welcoming remarks by Roosevelt House Director Harold Holzer.
Moderator: Jeff Gold is a New York City-based urbanist and editor, chair of the Metro NY Health Care for All Campaign, and director of the Institute for Rational Urban Mobility. Gold serves on the NYC Working Group of the Living New Deal. He has coordinated community needs planning sessions with local residents of distressed smaller cities to find solutions to ‘food deserts’ and other serious food supply problems.
Panelists:

Kate MacKenzie is Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Food Policy (MOFP) and advises the Mayor on all issues related to food policy and the City’s food system. She leads the City’s Good Food Purchasing commitments, focused on increasing access to healthy, sustainable foods for the over 238 million meals and snacks served daily by City agencies, from public schools to senior centers.
Annette Nielsen is the Acting Director of the Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center. Until recently, she led the New York City office for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Representing the Department, she provided a touchpoint for the agricultural and food industries in the greater metropolitan area, while supporting statewide efforts to build resilient food systems. She is a member of the Policy Committee for the Food Ed Coalition at the Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy at Teachers College, Columbia University, and the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance.
Jan Poppendieck is a Professor Emerita of Sociology at Hunter College, a co-founder of the New York City Food Policy Center at Hunter, and a senior fellow at the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute at the CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy. She is the author of Breadlines Knee-Deep in Wheat: Food Assistance in the Great Depression, Sweet Charity? Emergency Food and the End of Entitlement, and Free For All: Fixing School Food in America. She serves on the Board of Directors of Community Food Advocates, and the Advisory Committees of Wellness in the Schools and the Hunter College Welfare Rights Initiative, and she is a member of the Global Alliance for Food, Health, and Social Justice.
Myron Thurston is the Food Supply Chain Marketing Specialist for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County and is a Senior Resource Educator in the Cornell System. His most recent position was in Agriculture Economic Development at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County, and he worked with farmers there to help them prepare for expansion, diversification, and financial protection for their agribusinesses. He also served as the head of marketing for two nonprofits in Central New York. Myron grew up on a 100-year-old family dairy farm that milked some 350 cows and farmed on 2,000 acres in Oneida County, NY.

Watch the panel discussion HERE.

Food as Medicine Summit
2023-11-15 | Online
This virtual event will be hosted by the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center and the Center for Food as Medicine on Wednesday November 15th, 2023.

Please click on THIS link to attend the event OR cut and paste this into your browser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ0GSC9gqsw Thank you, and enjoy the summit!

This is a free event, but registration is required to attend. To register, follow this link.
Questions? Reach out to Annette Nielsen at annettenielsen@mac.com

Food Policy For Breakfast Series: Strategies for Sustained Nutrition and Culinary Education Programs
2024-05-16 09:00 - 11:00
Strategies for Sustained Nutrition and Culinary Education
REGISTER HERE
Come join us on May 16, 2024, at 9:00AM to delve into strategies for sustained nutrition and culinary education programs!
Panel 1: Practice and Practitioners
Moderator: Pam Koch, Ed.D., Professor and Faculty Director of the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy at
Teachers College, Columbia University;
Lynn Fredericks, Founder, Family Cook Productions;
Yadira Garcia, Director of Programs and Innovations, Corbin Hill Food Project; and
Marion Williams, National Program Director, Wellness in the Schools
Panel 2: Policy
Moderator: Annette Nielsen, Executive Director, Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center;
Pam Koch, Ed.D., Professor and Faculty Director of the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy at Teachers College, Columbia University; and
Jeremy Walter, Deputy Executive Director, NYC Public Schools

SNAP-Shot Panel Discussion
2025-11-10 11:30 - 13:30 | The Silberman Building, 2180 Third Avenue at 119th Street, New York
The NYC Food Policy Center, Hunter School of Health Professions, Hunter Department of Nutrition and Public Health, the Silberman School of Social Work, and community partner East Side Soul present “SNAP-shot,” a conversation on how SNAP, food insecurity, and the government shutdown are affecting East Harlem and the Hunter College community. Enjoy lunch from Amor Cubano, a fresh produce distro, and an engaging discussion on November 10th, 2025, from 11:30 AM to 1:15 PM. Join us in person or on Zoom!

Upcycled Plant Pots Workshop
2026-01-09 16:00 - 18:00 | The Silberman Building, 2180 Third Avenue at 119th Street, New York
Join the NYC Food Policy Center at the Silberman School of Social Work on Jan 9th, from 4-6 p.m. for a workshop honoring agricultural science pioneer George Washington Carver. Led by homesteader Crystal-Renna of Chicas Urban Farm, participants will learn to transform everyday items like yogurt containers into windowsill pots, plant seeds to take home, and discuss Black foodways, farmers, and agriculture over snacks.

Upcycling Workshop: Self-Watering Plant Pots
2026-02-24 16:00 - 17:30 | Silberman School of Social Work Campus, 2180 Third Avenue at 119th Street, New York, New York, United States
Join us for another discussion about the importance of upcycling in agriculture, and how it can up your urban gardening game!

We will be talking with farmer Crystal-Renna from Chica’s Urban Farm in Newburgh, NY who will also be leading us through a workshop on how to create our very own self-watering plant pots out of recycled plastic bottles. Whether you’re a house plant lover or interested in growing food producing plants, this workshop will provide you with all the materials you need to bring a little more green into your space!

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Indigenous Food Policy Summit
2026-04-21 18:30 - 21:00 | Silberman School of Social Work Campus, 2180 Third Avenue at 119th Street, New York, New York, United States
Join the FPC as Hunter College hosts our first-ever Indigenous Food Policy Summit, welcoming leaders, elders, and community members from all around the world.

The evening will kick off with Lenape Center Director of Agriculture Curtis Zunigha and keynote speaker Oglala-Lakota Sioux Chef Sean Sherman, who will set the tone for the night: Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island are facing mounting challenges to their food sovereignty, including the impacts of climate change—yet those challenges extend to all of those on the continent.
Throughout the Silberman Building, we’ll host discussions, short-film screenings, and cooking demonstrations. Our speakers will present on topics ranging from regenerative urban agriculture and education, to reimagining the legal boundaries of buffalo on tribal land, and even nixtamalization (the processing of corn with alkaline solution) as a form of political resistance and resilience—just to name a few.
Guests will also be able to sample Tetelas, atole, huazontle tacos, Pastel Azteca, bápa and wasna, venison soup, and more.

Soil to Shelves: Detroit Lessons on Getting Local Supply into Retail Models
2026-06-15 18:00 - 19:30 | Virtual
Join Detroit and NYC food and agriculture leaders in a “garden side chat”!

The city of Detroit is known for having a rich, deep history of urban agriculture, hyperlocal food access, and community organizing. With over 2,200 gardens and farms, Detroit has been a national leader in leveraging municipal policies to support land stewardship for residents to grow, foster economic activity, and build a resilient food/ag system. With the recent launch of the Detroit People’s Food Co-op, a Black-led community owned grocery store, there is now yet another critical connection for local gardeners and small businesses to provide healthy, fresh food into the community while generating revenue.
In this chat, we will dig into a conversation with Detroit city and community food/agriculture leaders on the importance of urban agriculture, land tenure, and community power in the city’s food and sustainability plans. We will also hear about current lessons learned in starting and sustaining a community-driven food co-op as well as the opportunities and challenges getting local food supply from urban gardens and onto shelves of the store and what growers and the city leaders should factor in planning for NYC models. We will also include time for Q/A with the speakers as well as breakouts for the audience to discuss their ideas and feedback which will be shared in MOUA’s “Purchasing with Purpose” recommendations to the city.
