Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Mayor's Office of Food Policy (MOFP) announced today the release of the City’s first ever 10-Year Food Policy Plan, "Food Forward NYC," a comprehensive framework for a more racially and economically equitable, sustainable and healthy food system for all New Yorkers that addresses the profound social, economic, health, and environmental challenges currently facing our city.
“When COVID-19 hit, I made a promise to ensure no New Yorker goes hungry due to the pandemic,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We quickly mobilized to create GetFoodNYC and have distributed more than 200 million meals to New Yorkers. This 10-Year Food Policy Plan builds on top of this emergency effort and centers racial and economic justice in our food system in the long term.”
“The City's food system impacts the lives of each and every New Yorker. For New Yorkers to thrive, we must have a thriving food system. Our food system provides jobs to millions of our neighbors, builds community and strengthens relationships, affects our environment, and ensures culturally appropriate nourishment for us all. Food Forward NYC provides a comprehensive and visionary path forward to intentionally create a more equitable, inclusive food environment in the City,” said Kate MacKenzie, Director of Mayor’s Office of Food Policy. “This plan is long-term and wide-ranging, the City is partnering inside and outside of government to systematically improve our food system for all New Yorkers.”
“Food and food access is central to New Yorkers’ overall health and wellbeing, providing needed nutrition, creating opportunities for community building and cultural exchange, and importantly offering a vital source of economic opportunity” said Melanie Hartzog, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services. “With the pandemic revealing deep inequalities and socio-economic disparities across race, class, and neighborhood in New York City, there is no better time to release our roadmap and long-term vision for a stronger, more equitable food system.”
“Food Forward NYC lays out an ambitious interagency plan that makes food a major priority for City agencies,” said Laura Anglin, Deputy Mayor for Operations. “The plan provides a strategic framework for building back an even stronger food system. The strategies and actions outlined in Food Forward NYC reflect the sophisticated understanding City agencies developed about the food system over the last few months of the COVID-19 crisis.”
“Securing New York City’s food system is foundational to ensuring our economic vitality," said Vicki Been, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development. "Food Forward NYC fortifies our food system by further embedding it into infrastructure connections, the local economy, and the larger metro region. The plan is a first step in creating a more equitable, sustainable, and healthful food system by 2030."
“As New York City continues to find ways to meet our immediate food security needs that the COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated, we must also be focused on long term solutions for equity and accessibility in our citywide food systems, said J. Phillip Thompson, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives. "Food Forward NYC," the City's first ever 10-year food policy plan, lays out a blueprint inspired by our highest aspirations for all New Yorkers in the future to have the access to healthy and affordable food so badly needed, and for a food economy that priorities good jobs and economic democracy in the food sector."
As the city faces unprecedented levels of food insecurity, there is no more important time than now to lay out the roadmap to building back an even better food system. Over the course of the pandemic, MOFP has demonstrated -- through initiatives with City agencies, elected officials, community-based organizations, and other partners—what working together to create a better food system looks like. As the City distributes the 200 millionth meal through the GetFoodNYC emergency relief program, we now have a much deeper understanding of the unique issues facing our food system and we have used these lessons learned to inform Forward Food NYC.
Food Forward NYC emphasizes the importance of choice - enabling a food system where everyone should be able to access the food they want wherever they may want it. To enable this choice, we need to support both our food workers and our food businesses. To strengthen the sustainability and resiliency of our food system, we need to rethink our food infrastructure and deepen our connections with the region.
Food Forward NYC is organized around five overarching goals:
1. All New Yorkers have multiple ways to access healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food.
2. New York City’s food economy drives economic opportunity and provides good jobs.
3. The supply chains that feed New York City are modern, efficient, and resilient.
4. New York City’s food is produced, distributed, and disposed of sustainably.
5. Support the systems and knowledge to implement the 10-year food policy plan.
The full report is available here.
The plan recognizes some of our most promising strategies fall outside of the purview of city government, and calls on the City’s partners to work together on shared goals for building a strong food system. The plan follows months of engagement with hundreds of New Yorkers across all sectors of the food system. In the coming months, the MOFP will continue the conversation with residents, community-based organizations and civic leaders, academic and health institutions, private for-profit and philanthropic partners, and elected officials to refine our strategies and develop shared metrics of success.
“When I launched Growing Food Equity in New York City in 2019, establishing a multi-year food plan was a key part of our legislative agenda to tackle racial, economic, and environmental inequity in our food system. The pandemic has only further demonstrated the need for coordinated, long-term planning and action to eliminate the disparities that persists among New Yorkers’ food options, quality and adequacy of food, and access to growing land and green spaces. The Council looks forward to working with all stakeholders to ensure this vital tool leads to a more fair, resilient and sustainable food system," said Council Speaker Corey Johnson.
About the Mayor’s Office of Food Policy
The Mayor’s Office of Food Policy was created through Executive Order in 2008 and has worked since inception to elevate and advance the City’s food policy agenda; increasing food security, promoting access to and consumption of healthy foods, and supporting economic opportunity and environmental sustainability in the food system. The Office places a critical facilitation role between City agencies and partners. Through this work, the Office has been a central partner in developing the NYC Food Standards, ensuring Universal Schools Breakfast and Lunch, and leading the annual Food Metrics Report. New York City’s advanced and innovative food policy work has become recognized nationally and internationally, including the Department of Education’s Meatless Mondays and elimination of processed meats. The City has advanced progressive food policy reform, expanding the number of farmers markets throughout the City, reducing allowable levels of sodium in meals provided by all City agencies, and expanding Universal Breakfast and Lunch for all New York City school children.
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