Worker rights took center stage in New York City this month as the City Council overrode Mayor Adams’ vetoes, strengthening protections for street vendors and delivery workers. At the state level, New York celebrated Hunger Action Month milestones, while nationally, the Trump administration ended decades of tracking food insecurity, released its controversial MAHA report, and farm bill talks remained deadlocked. Here’s the September rundown.
What’s Hot: NYC Council Overrides Adams, Expands Protections for Street Vendors and Delivery Workers
Local
On September 10, the New York City Council overrode Mayor Adams’ vetoes of three worker protection bills, improving conditions for the workers who keep New York’s street food and delivery economy running.
The most sweeping change comes from Introduction 47-B, which eliminates misdemeanor charges for unlicensed street vending, reclassifying it as a civil (non-criminal) violation. Council Member Shekar Krishnan’s bill, backed by the mayor’s own Street Vendor Advisory Board, means vendors can still be fined for selling without permits, but they won’t end up with criminal records that shut them out of jobs and housing or flag them for deportation.
The two other bills target the booming delivery sector. Introduction 1133-A, sponsored by Council Member Gutiérrez, expands protections that restaurant delivery workers gained in 2021 to cover all contracted delivery workers, including those delivering groceries and other goods. The bill guarantees minimum pay, transparent earnings information, bathroom access, and basic equipment like insulated bags. It also requires the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to study these workers’ working conditions and establish a minimum pay rate. Introduction 1135-A, sponsored by Council Member Sandy Nurse, requires grocery delivery platforms to pay that minimum rate or more.
Council members also passed Introduction 20, sponsored by Council Member Gale Brewer, which strengthens safety requirements for delivery workers. The bill mandates that businesses provide reflective gear and updates the city’s bicycle safety course to cover the operation of electric bicycles and the safety of lithium-ion batteries, both of which are increasingly relevant as delivery workers shift to e-bikes. It also establishes enforcement mechanisms: delivery platforms can lose their licenses if they accumulate multiple violations for failing to provide the required safety training, equipment, or identification.
Mayor Adams argued the bills would undermine law-abiding shop owners by allowing unlicensed street vendors to face few consequences, and warned it would increase grocery delivery costs amid already high food prices.
New York State
New York State used Hunger Action Month and Climate Week to showcase its efforts in tackling food insecurity on multiple fronts. Governor Hochul announced that Feeding New York State collected 63 million pounds of food through the state’s Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Program, while the state awarded $10 million through the Food Access Expansion Grant Program to nine projects that will open new supermarkets, food co-ops, and farm stands in areas with limited food access, expanding markets for New York farmers. The state’s universal free school meals program continued to provide breakfast and lunch to all 2.7 million public school students at no cost. State landmarks were lit orange on September 9 in recognition of Hunger Action Day.
Nationally
USDA Cancels Annual Food Insecurity Survey
The USDA announced on September 21 that it will stop publishing its yearly Household Food Security Reports, a survey that has tracked food insecurity rates across America for decades. The administration dismissed the long-running survey as “redundant, costly, politicized, and extraneous.” The department will release the 2024 data as its final report. The decision coincides with a substantial reform of SNAP, the nation’s largest food security program, that includes tightened eligibility requirements and work rules expected to result in approximately 4 million Americans losing some or all of their benefits in a typical month.
Food security advocates warn that ending the survey could undermine efforts to address food insecurity. Policymakers and researchers have relied on this data for decades to understand the scope of the problem and design effective programs. Eric Mitchell, President of the Alliance to End Hunger, told Politico: “It is further troubling that the decision comes amid predictions that hunger may increase in the coming months and years. Hunger will not disappear simply because it is no longer tracked.”
MAHA Report Released
The White House released its Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) report in mid-September 2025. The report proposes stricter oversight of ultra-processed foods in federal nutrition programs, a gradual phase-out of synthetic petroleum-based food dyes, potential restrictions on the marketing of junk food to children, closing the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) loophole (which allows thousands of food additives to enter the market without FDA review), limiting corporate influence over nutrition research and federal dietary guidelines, voluntary reductions in pesticide use by farmers, stricter standards for infant formula ingredients, creating an official definition of “ultra-processed foods,” and updating nutrition labels.
While some advocates welcomed aspects of the report, such as its emphasis on reducing ultra-processed foods, increasing whole food consumption, phasing out harmful food additives, and limiting food marketing to children, critics note major contradictions with the administration’s actual policies. Even as the report advocates for improving children’s nutrition, reducing exposure to chemicals and pesticides, and addressing food system consolidation, the administration’s broader political agenda directly undermines these goals. This agenda includes eliminating programs that bring local food into schools, slashing government funding for nutrition and health research, and proposing substantial cuts to SNAP benefits. The administration has also moved to deregulate pesticide use, dismantled environmental protections targeting the chemical exposures the report identifies as threats, and revoked a Biden-era executive order that promoted agricultural competition.
The report has also drawn criticism for prioritizing voluntary industry cooperation and calls for more research over mandatory regulations. Critics have further questioned the report’s scientific rigor, pointing to the selective use of scientific literature and insufficient evidence-based analysis.
Quote of the Month
“In my district, particularly along 125th Street in Harlem, vendors are the very heartbeat of our community. They are also the eyes and ears, offering an added layer of security and safety. They bring our sidewalks to life, offering cultural resident goods and food that reflects the vibrant identity of Harlem, serving both residents and visitors alike.
These are, in fact, small business owners, many of whom are immigrants, many of whom are people of color who also face challenges in owning their own brick and mortar shops, and who now face the added burden of criminalization simply for trying to earn a living.
Introduction 47 corrects this injustice….It recognizes that the pursuit of happiness cannot exist when people are locked out of licenses by red tape, that the pursuit of liberty is meaningless when an immigrant mother risks deportation for selling churros on the subway, and that the very pursuit of life is placed at risk when a criminal record blocks access to housing, jobs, and stability.”
Council Member Dr. Yusef Salaam, representing District 9, speaking in support of Introduction 47 at the September 10th City Council meeting, where members overrode Mayor Adams’ vetoes and passed Introduction 20
