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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 [...]

Rachel Ingram is a seasoned public health program manager and the Senior Program Manager at Bronx Health REACH/Institute for Family Health. She has been instrumental in advocating for healthier food policies and community-driven initiatives across the Bronx. We invited Rachel to discuss how community engagement can shape food policy and address critical intersections with other social issues. Her insights highlight the ongoing challenges and successes [...]

Alyson Rosenthal, a nonprofit leader and Chief Program Officer at the West Side Campaign Against Hunger (WSCAH), has ample experience working at the intersection of health, social justice, and sustainable agriculture. In our conversation, Alyson shares how community engagement shapes food policy, the need for urgent policy reforms, and the challenges of addressing food insecurity alongside other social issues like housing and healthcare. Her perspective [...]

Taylor Pate, Campaign Manager for the NYS Good Food Purchasing Program, is a passionate advocate for sustainable, values-based institutional food procurement policies. With expertise in coalition-building and food security, Taylor has been instrumental in advancing the Good Food NY bill to promote fair, local, and environmentally-conscious food procurement in New York’s public institutions. We spoke with Taylor about how community engagement drives food policy reform [...]