A roundup of food policy topics
What’s Hot: NYC’s Food Delivery Minimum Wage Law Temporarily Blocked
This month, a judge blocked the food delivery minimum wage law from going into effect in NYC. The reasoning behind the hold is to allow a hearing for a lawsuit filed by Doordash and Grubhub against New York City. The law being blocked would increase the minimum wage for delivery workers to $17.96 an hour before tips.
Delivery Apps, including Grubhub, Seamless, and Uber Eats, claim that the law will harm their businesses as well as that of the delivery drivers, rather than helping them. A representative from Doordash stated that, “Today’s decision is an early and promising victory for consumers, local businesses, and delivery workers across New York City, protecting them from the harmful and lasting impacts of an extreme earnings standard that resulted from a fundamentally broken process. We hope that this puts us on the path towards the city establishing a more reasonable earnings standard that reflects how these platforms are used by New Yorkers,”
Food Policy Watchdog: New UN Report Reveals that 122 Million People Have Been Pushed into Hunger Since 2019
A new report released by the UN finds that more than 122 million people have been pushed into hunger since 2019. The most evident causes are the war in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, and repeated weather shocks.
The report also identified that there has been progress toward reducing hunger in Asia and Latin America, but Africa still stands as the most seriously hunger-affected region. This report comes as a wake-up call as the 2030 goal of zero hunger approaches.
Quote of the Month:
“There are rays of hope as some regions are on track to achieve some 2030 nutrition targets. But overall, we need an intense and immediate global effort to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals. We must build resilience against the crises and shocks that drive food insecurity, from conflict to climate.”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres
Fact Check: Lead Pipes in NYC are more common than you’d think
A new report by the New York City Coalition to End Lead Poisoning has found that more than 900,000 homes are receiving water from lead pipes. The report found that Port Richmond in Staten Island has the greatest proportion of lead pipes amongst individual neighborhoods.
However, the report also states that NYC treats its water to prevent corrosion, the chemical reaction that makes lead flake off pipes and into our water. While our water is still safe to drink, the city is actively working to remove all lead pipes.
