News

ABOUT The CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute is pleased to share a recent podcast episode from Bioethics in the Margins featuring our Senior Faculty Fellow and co-founder, Nicholas Freudenberg, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the City University of New York School of Public Health. In this conversation, Dr. Freudenberg discusses the Commercial Determinants of Health and how corporate practices shape patterns of health and disease globally. [...]

IN THIS ISSUE: Editorial / Food as a Human Right / Institute Research & Media Highlights / In Other News / Institute Forum Events: Past & Upcoming / Food Policy & Advocacy Highlights EDITORIAL As we begin 2026, this issue of the CUNY Urban Food Policy Monitor highlights the growing urgency – and opportunity – of advancing food policy solutions that center equity, affordability, health, [...]

Photos: CUNY Forum, September 26, 2025, at the CUNY Graduate Center Left: Etienne Krug, WHO, and Nevin Cohen, CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute.  Right: Paula Johns, ACT Brasil; Etienne Krug, WHO, Jessica Fanzo, Columbia Climate School; and Nicholas Freudenberg, CUNY School of Public Health.   In the last several months, political leaders, scientists, and activists from around the world gathered to assess progress and map strategies [...]

As New Yorkers prepare to cast their ballots next Tuesday, November 4th, the stakes for food policy – and for the health and well-being of our communities – could not be higher. Decisions made by city leadership shape everything from access to affordable, healthy food and universal school meals, to the future of community composting, climate resilience, and protections for food workers. At a time [...]

Amid growing interest in city-run grocery stores as a solution to food access inequities, our Institute’s directors, Dr. Nevin Cohen and Craig Willingham, along with Professor Nick Freudenberg, have been leading voices in the conversation. Their insights appear in CNN, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, NBC New York, The Week, Vital City, Gothamist, and Modern Retail, offering critical perspectives on the potential of public supermarkets to address [...]

IN THIS ISSUE: Editorial / Perspectives on Food Policy Priorities from the Field / Additional Readings and Resources / Previous Video Recording / Upcoming Events EDITORIAL Greetings CUNY Urban Food Policy Monitor readers and members of our food policy learning community!  As New York City prepares for the mayoral election —with the primary on June 24 (early voting begins Saturday, June 14) and the general [...]

On April 24th, four New York City mayoral candidates participated in a live virtual forum on Hunger, Poverty and Food Policy, hosted by a number of anti-hunger and food policy organizations. The candidates who participated in that online forum were: Michael Blake, Brad Lander, Zellnor Myrie, and Scott Stringer. Hunger and food insecurity affect millions of New Yorkers every day, with more than 4.6 million [...]

The 2025 mayoral race, arriving amid rising costs of living and post-pandemic recovery, offers a crucial opportunity to reimagine how New York feeds and cares for its most vulnerable. In April, the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute, in collaboration with partners including Hunger Free America, United Way of New York City, Equity Advocates, Food Bank for New York City, City Harvest, Feeding New York State, [...]

IN THIS ISSUE: Editorial / Perspectives on Food Policy Priorities from the Field / Additional Readings and Resources / Previous Video Recording / Upcoming Events EDITORIAL Greetings CUNY Urban Food Policy Monitor readers and members of our food policy learning community! In this issue of CUNY Urban Food Policy Monitor, we spotlight leaders at the forefront of food policy change and advocacy, with exclusive interviews [...]