Towards a NYC COVID-19 Food Response in 2021 

The NY Food 20/20 Project, a collaboration of the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center; Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy and CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute, is pleased to announce the release of a new report, Towards a NYC COVID-19 Food Response in 2021.

Towards a NYC COVID-19 Food Response in 2021 includes evidence and recommendations to help officials, activists, health professionals, community-based organizations, and food businesses repair the damage that COVID-19 has caused to New York City’s food system. The report includes six overarching goals, each accompanied by two priority action strategies and implementation examples, that seek to address new and pre-existing underlying issues within NYC’s food system.

Download the report here>>>

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NY Food 20/20 Visions, Research & Recommendations for Food Systems During COVID-19 and Beyond

The Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center in collaboration with the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute and the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy have joined forces to monitor and assess New York City’s food system response to COVID-19 to date and over the next 18 months. The Center’s have collaborated to produce the first independent assessment of the effects of COVID-19 on our food system and an assessment of the many public and private responses.

In this first report of NY Food 20/20, the Centers examined the effects of the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences on New York’s food system and the health and wellbeing of New Yorkers. The Centers also discussed the creation and early implementation of some of the City’s responses to COVID-19 related food system changes and offered concrete actions that public officials and agencies, civil society groups and others can take with a focus on how to minimize the harms and maximize the opportunities to address the underlying problems the pandemic has exacerbated.

Download the report here>>>

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NYC Restaurant Workers Report

The Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center conducted a city-wide survey of restaurant workers to examine the industry’s climate from their perspective, explore the extent to which workers’ rights and benefits are implemented, and compare working conditions in “good food”/health- forward restaurants with those in other types of restaurants.

Based on the survey findings, the report concludes with actions and policies to increase employees’ wages and opportunities and to expand the protection and rights of those working in the restaurant industry.

Download the report here>>>

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Health Tech and Feeding an Urban Population

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Organic food sales are booming. Question is, though, can consumers trust the label or does it bear too many blemishes to have credibility?

Food labels are a dime a dozen these days. Yet, while many hold little to no merit– think “natural” and “free-range” – others, particularly “organic,” must comply with strict government standards. Those standards, established under the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, make these products subject to inspection and require that their cultivation follow approved practices and use only allowed substances.

By all accounts, organic food sales are booming. According to a survey by the Organic Trade Association, 82 percent of American households buy organic on a regular basis, pushing total U.S. organic sales in 2016 to almost $50 billion. Overall, organic accounts for five percent of total food sales in this country, which may be attributed to organics going mainstream. Now that stores like Wal-Mart, Safeway and Albertsons have expanded their selection of organics, the cost has become more affordable. According to a Consumer Reports study, a handful of organic items cost no more than their non-organic counterparts.

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Can a half gallon of milk cost $1.59 in one neighborhood and $4.84 in another that’s only a few miles away? Between February and April of 2017, under the direction of the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center, 30 undergraduate Hunter College Nutrition students visited 41 supermarkets and farmers’ markets in their neighborhoods to answer that question.

As we know, there is no silver bullet for creating access to healthy food. Numerous factors, including convenience, affordability, transportation, previous shopping experiences, and even the weather can impact a person’s ability and/or desire to purchase fresh, nutritious food.

The data from this survey shines light on the wide variation in the cost of specific healthy food items and demonstrates that shopping for healthy foods on a budget isn’t easy. Shoppers have to be savvy, mindful, aware, and often willing to travel some distance to find healthy foods at the best price in New York City.

With the increase in obesity and other diet-related diseases, as well as the persistence of food insecurity among many vulnerable populations, the need for transformative changes to our food systems and local food environments is critical.

In an effort to improve population health, and the health of New York City residents, the Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center is constantly seeking to better understand the differences and similarities across neighborhood food environments.

Health Tech and Food Insecurity

This first report discusses and demonstrates ways that technology can help food-insecure individuals access and afford food. Though not a solution to poverty and the other root causes of food insecurity, technology can make it easier for people to sign up for and use federal food assistance benefits, learn about resources in their communities, access nutrition education, plan low-cost meals and save money while grocery shopping. This report and upcoming reports include many examples that demonstrate creative solutions to complex food system issues and also identify areas where new technological developments are needed.