Part of the Food Policy Snapshot Series
Policy name: New York City Executive Order 8 – Commitment to Health and Nutrition: Food Standards and Good Food Purchasing and Executive Order 9 – Promotion of Healthy Foods in City Publications and in Advertising on City Property
Overview: New York City Mayor Eric Adams has signed two executive orders that emphasize promoting, purchasing, and serving healthy foods citywide.
Location: New York City
Population: 8.2 million
Food policy category: Food justice, nutrition
Program goals: To reduce diet-related health inequities and to prevent nutrition-related illnesses.
How it works: Executive Order 8 revokes Executive Order 122 of 2008, which created standards for meals served by city agencies, and orders the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and the Mayor’s Office of Food Policy (MOFP) to revise the City Agency Food Standards by April 1, 2022, and every three years thereafter. In addition, the order announces the city’s commitment to Good Food Purchasing principles, which allow the city to track where food is coming from and how it impacts nutrition, support for local economies, the food production and delivery workforce, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare.
Executive Order 9 states that any advertising produced, published, or distributed by a city agency or placed on city property, that includes any representation or description of food, must feature healthy, whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, or whole grains.
Progress to date: Both executive orders went into effect immediately upon the mayor’s signing them on February 10, 2022.
Why it is important: A nutritious diet can help individuals manage or reduce the risk of obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. In New York City:
- More than half of adults are overweight or obese
- Heart disease is the leading cause of death for adults
- Almost one million individuals have diabetes
- 41,000 new cancer cases are diagnosed each year
Furthermore, low-income New Yorkers and ethnic minorities, including Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians, are more likely than their wealthier and/or white counterparts to die prematurely.
Mayor Adams is committed to reducing chronic disease and health disparities in New York City, and he is promoting nutrition as a major step toward achieving more positive health outcomes.
Program/Policy initiated: Both executive orders were signed on February 10, 2022.
Point of contact:
Email: pressoffice@cityhall.nyc.gov
Phone: (212) 788-2958
Similar practices: Mayor Adams has previously shown his commitment to food policy and food justice, through actions such as introducing “Vegan Fridays” for school meals and expanding access to lifestyle medicine services (addressing the root causes of illness) that emphasize plant-based diets across the city. On February 10, New York City’s Department of Social Services (DSS) also announced a new Food Distribution Program that, for the first time ever, includes fruits and vegetables and will ensure that emergency food providers receive a consistent supply of healthy and culturally appropriate food.
Evaluation: While formal evaluations have not yet been conducted, the executive orders have received support from many officials citywide, including city councilmembers, the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, the chief medical officer of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), and the senior health adviser of the DOHMH.
Learn more:
- Gender and Race Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors among New York City Adults: New York City Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NYC HANES) 2013–2014 (Journal of Urban Health)
- Toward a Healthier City: Nutrition Standards for New York City Government (American Journal of Preventive Medicine)
References:
- Adams Takes Executive Action Promoting Healthy Food in New York City (AMNY)
- Cancer Prevention and Screening (NYC Health)
- Executive Order 8 | Commitment to Health and Nutrition: Food Standards and Good Food Purchasing (NYC Office of the Mayor)
- Executive Order 9 | Promotion of Healthy Foods in City Publications and in Advertising on City Property (NYC Office of the Mayor)
- Health Disparities in New York City (NYC Health)
- Heart Disease (NYC Health)
- Letter from the Director (NYC Food Policy Good Food Purchasing)
- Mayor Adams, NYC Health + Hospitals Expand Access to Lifestyle Medicine Services City-Wide (NYC Office of the Mayor)
- Mayor Adams Promotes Healthy Eating in NYC with 2 Executive Orders (ABC 7 NY)
- Mayor Adams Takes Executive Action to Promote Healthy Food in New York City (NYC Office of the Mayor)
- Obesity (NYC Health)
- Poor Nutrition (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Type 2 Diabetes (NYC Health)
