Who We Are

• Zohran Mamdani’s NYC grocery stores scheme draws fresh scrutiny as video of empty, city-owned Missouri market goes viral

(Features Associate Professor Nevin Cohen) 

New York Post | July 24th, 2025

•  Zohran Mamdani is calling for city-owned grocery stores. NYC already has them.

(Quotes Associate Professor Nevin Cohen)

Gothamist | July 22nd, 2025

•  A look at the history and future of public grocery stores

(Quotes Associate Professor Nevin Cohen)

Modern Retail | July 17th, 2025

• Guess What? Government Is Already in the Grocery Business

(Written by Associate Professor Nevin Cohen) 

Vital City | July 17th, 2025

• Can city-run stores fill food access gaps?

(Quotes Associate Professor Nevin Cohen) 

Washington Post  | July 15th, 2025

• Mamdani is promising government-run grocery stores. How would that work?

(Quotes Associate Professor Nevin Cohen)

The Week | July 2nd 2025

• New York is Hungry for a Big Grocery Experiment

(Paraphrases CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute Managing Director Craig Willingham)

The Atlantic | July 2, 2025

• Critics Weigh in on city-run groceries 

(Features Associate Professor Nevin Cohen) 

NBC | June 30th, 2025

• Mamdani’s Plan to Open Public Supermarkets

(Quotes Associate Professor Nevin Cohen) 

CNN | June 30th, 2025

• Critics take aim at Zohran Mamdani’s plan for city-owned grocery stores

(Features Associate Professor Nevin Cohen)

NBC New York | June 30, 2025

• Zohran Mamdani wants to build government supermarkets. America already has them (paywall)

(Quotes Associate Professor Nevin Cohen)

CNN | June 30, 2025

• LI medical research, higher education hurt by budget cuts (paywall)

(Op-ed by Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg)

Newsday | June 26, 2025

• Opinion: Why NYC Needs Community Composting to Make Curbside Collections Work

(Cites research from the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute)

City Limits | May 23, 2025

• Op-ed: To safeguard NYC’s health, protect CUNY’s research

(Op-ed by Professor Emeritus Nicholas Freudenberg)

Crain’s New York Business | May 8, 2025

• NY bill targets junk food advertising, aims to lower childhood obesity

(Cites research from the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute)

The Poughkeepsie Journal | April 23, 2025

• Opinion: Older New Yorkers Built This City—Now They’re Going Hungry

(Mentions research by the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute)

City Limits | April 1, 2025

• ‘You have to find your own recipe’: Dutch suburb where residents must grow food on at least half of their property

(Quotes CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute Director of Policy Rositsa Ilieva)

The Guardian | November 28, 2024

• 2024 saw a record number of visits to food pantries in NYC, report shows

(Cites work by the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute)

AM New York | November 27, 2024

• Citymeals on Wheels volunteers fan out across NYC ahead of Thanksgiving

(References work with the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute to improve program)

ABC 7 New York | November 25, 2024

• Making sure older New Yorkers have meals on the holidays – and always

(Interview with Citymeals on Wheels CEO Beth Shapiro, references work with the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute)

NYN Media | November 19, 2024

• For Many Older New Yorkers, Home-Delivered Meals Offer More Than Food

(Cites research by the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute and quotes Director of Evaluation Katy Tomaino Fraser)

City Limits | October 7, 2024

• Food in Cities: The Food Trails Podcast Explores Challenges and Opportunities of Urban Foodscapes

(Coverage of podcast episode featuring Professor Nevin Cohen)

Slow Food | September 13, 2024

• The need for an urban food revolution and the role of cities

(Features Professor Nevin Cohen)

Food and the Cities | September 13, 2024

• Older Adult Programs See Budget Boost—But Not Enough to Keep Up With Aging Population, Providers Say

(References survey by the CUNY Urban Food Policy Initiative)

City Limits | July 18, 2024

• Nearly half of New York City’s vulnerable older adults have faced food insecurity in the last year, new study finds (Cites research from the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute)

Business Insider | June 18, 2024

• Report: Nearly half of New York’s aging population has experienced food insecurity in the past year (Reports on survey conducted by CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute and City Meals on Wheels)

NYN Media | May 17, 2024

• One in Five Food App Delivery Workers Are Assaulted On the Job: Study

(Reports on the findings of a recent study conducted by CUNY SPH professors Nevin Cohen, Mustafa Hussein, and Zac Shahn and their colleagues at Queens College)

The New York Post | May 11, 2024

• The violence of food apartheid in Philadelphia

(Quotes Distinguished Professor Nicholas Freudenberg)

Prism | May 7, 2024

• Midday News  (References study by faculty members Mustafa Hussein and Nevin Cohen)

WNYC | May 1, 2024

• Urban Agriculture is Growing

(Mentions research conducted by Nevin Cohen and Rositsa Ilieva, the director and policy director of CUNY’s Urban Food Policy Institute, respectively)

Insight into Diversity | March 20, 2024

• Factors Contributing to the Growth of Urban Agriculture in New York City (In Korean. See English translation here.)

(Op-ed by Associate Professor Nevin Cohen)

World Food, Agriculture & Fisheries | February 2, 2024

• The Largest Study Of Its Kind Says Urban Agriculture May Not Be the Climate Solution We Thought It Was

(Covers study by Associate Professor Nevin Cohen, Adjunct Assistant Professor Rositsa Ilieva, and colleagues)

Ethos | January 22, 2024

• Urban Farming Has A Shockingly High Climate Cost — Here’s How Growers Can Bring Carbon Down, According To Scientists

(Covers study by Associate Professor Nevin Cohen, Adjunct Assistant Professor Rositsa Ilieva, and colleagues)

Forbes | January 22, 2024

• Urban agriculture isn’t as climate-friendly as it seems – but these best practices can transform gardens and city farms

(Op-ed by co-authors of study also by Associate Professor Nevin Cohen and Adjunct Assistant Professor Rositsa Ilieva.)

The Conversation | January 22, 2024

• Urban agriculture beats conventional agriculture on climate — if it’s done right

(Covers study by Associate Professor Nevin Cohen, Adjunct Assistant Professor Rositsa Ilieva, and colleagues)

The Hill | January 22, 2024

• Queens communities committed to closing “grocery gap”

(Features CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute Managing Director Craig Willingham)

CBS New York | October 10, 2023

• City sees ‘notable progress’ in food access, but costs remain a challenge (Paywall)

(Quotes Associate Professor Nevin Cohen)

Crain’s New York Business | August 8, 2023

• Critical pandemic lessons: prioritise public good over private profits

(Quotes Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg)

Croakey Health Media | June 29, 2023

• Nearly 1 in 10 New Yorkers experienced food insufficiency in 2022, report finds(Paywall)

(Quotes Associate Professor Nevin Cohen)

Crain’s | April 19, 2023

• Q&A: Food policy expert on how providers can widen access to city’s proposed grocery program

(Q&A with Associate Professor Nevin Cohen)

Crain’s New York Business | January 20, 2023

• State Bill Would Aid City’s Move Toward More Climate-Friendly Food Sources

(Quotes CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute Deputy Director Craig Willingham)

City Limits | November 16, 2022

• Q&A: Public health leader on how providers can better assess patients for food insecurity

(Interview with Associate Professor Nevin Cohen)

Crain’s | November 3, 2022

• With pandemic help ending, should states continue to feed all students?

(Quotes CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute Senior Faculty Fellow Janet Poppendieck)

The Christian Science Monitor | August 29, 2022

• Advocates look for new ways to fill city ‘food deserts’ | Analysis

(Quotes CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute Deputy Director Craig Willingham)

The Pennsylvania Capital-Star | August 15, 2022

• Here’s how researchers believe NYC can reduce food insecurity and improve access to healthy options

(Cites CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute report and quotes Associate Professor Nevin Cohen)

The Staten Island Advance | April 17, 2022

• Putting Forth a Blueprint for SNAP Advocacy

(Features blueprint by the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute at CUNY SPH)

Food Bank News | February 11, 2022

• Cancer moonshot 2.0: A missed opportunity for prevention
  (Op-ed by Distinguished Professor Nicholas Freudenberg)
  STAT | February 5, 2022
• Bridging the Housing Gap
  (Quotes Distinguished Professor Nicholas Freudenberg)
  Inside Higher Ed | February 1, 2022
• Hunger Continues to Plague Americans. Here’s Why—and What to Do About It.

(Cites research from the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute)

Civil Eats | December 2, 2021

• Community fridges are not a pandemic fad. They’ve become entrenched in neighborhoods as a way to fight hunger.

(Quotes Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg)

The Counter | October 8, 2021

• Junk Food Ads Are Still Targeting Kids of Color

(Quotes Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg)

VICE | September 16, 2021

• Meet the Black Farmers Fighting Food Deserts in New York

(Quotes CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute Deputy Director Craig Willingham)

VICE | September 9, 2021

• NYC tries to fix supermarket program’s fundamental flaw

(Quotes Associate Professor Nevin Cohen)

The Real Deal | September 8, 2021

• Time for a Reset for New York City Food Policy; Here’s 6 Key Steps

(Op-ed by Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg et al)

Gotham Gazette | August 13, 2021

• When School Nurses Are Not Enough

(Quotes Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg)

The New York Times | August 9, 2021

• Widespread Hunger Persists Even As New York’s Economy Recovers

(Quotes Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg)

Gothamist | June 8, 2021

• City Proposes Expanding Supermarket Zoning Incentive to More Neighborhoods, And It’s About More Than Just Fresh Food

(Quotes Associate Professor Nevin Cohen)

Bklyner | May 21, 2021

• CUNY’s Nick Freudenberg Discusses His Just-Published Work, “At What Cost, Modern Capitalism and the Future of Health”

(Interview with Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg)

The Healthcare Policy Podcast | May 20, 2021

• Corporate versus public control of science and technology: Forging a framework for the 21st Century

(Op-ed by Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg)

STAT | April 2, 2021

• To protect health, rein in Big Tech: Influential companies must take responsibility for effects

(Op-ed by Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg)

The New York Daily News | March 29, 2021

• Recipes for a More Secure East End Food System

(Op-ed by Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg)

The East Hampton Star | March 25, 2021

• How Modern Capitalism is Destroying Our Health

(Interview with Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg)

Lit Hub | March 23, 2021

• Speaker, Council Members, And New York City Planning Announce Expansion Of Program That Brings Green Grocers To Underserved Communities
  (Quotes Associate Professor Nevin Cohen)
  NY Patch | March 16, 2021
• Artificial Intelligence Is Predicting Future COVID-19 Strains, Developing Treatments

(Interview with Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg)

The Observer | March 16, 2021

• A new book asks whether capitalism is compatible with public health. (The answer is no)

(Interview with Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg)

Salon | March 14, 2021

• This Year’s Mayoral Campaign Can Contribute to a Healthier, More Equitable Food System for New York City

(Op-ed by Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg)

The Gotham Gazette | February 13, 2021

• Food-Insecure New Yorkers Seek More Meal Deliveries From City

(Quotes Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg)

The City  |  January 13, 2021

• Food Insecurity: NYC’s Ongoing Crisis

(Interview with Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg)

CUNY TV | November 17, 2020

• Can NYC use COVID to fix its food problems?

(Op-ed by Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg and colleagues)

The New York Daily News | September 30, 2020

• NYC’s Grab-and-Go Meal Program Headed for an After-School Schedule

(Quotes Distinguished Professor Nicholas Freudenberg)

The City | September 8, 2020

• College Food Pantries Are Reinventing Ways to Feed Students

(Quotes Distinguished Professor Nicholas Freudenberg and cites CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute report)

Civil Eats | July 27, 2020

• ‘People fear what they don’t know’: the battle over ‘wet’ markets, a vital part of culinary culture

(Quotes Associate Professor Nevin Cohen)

The Guardian  |  June 17, 2020

• Moving into the next phase of addressing New York City’s hunger crisis

(Quotes Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg)

New York Nonprofit Media | June 11, 2020

• After COVID-19, we must save CUNY

(Op-ed by Distinguished Professor Nick Freudenberg and PhD student Erinn Bacchus)

The New York Daily News | May 29, 2020

• Underfunded public health schools say a lot about the US response to Covid-19

(Quotes Distinguished Professor Nicholas Freudenberg)

Quartz | May 7, 2020

• What More States Allowing SNAP Recipients to Buy Food Online Means for Food Security

(Quotes Associate Professor Nevin Cohen)

CivilEats | April 13, 2020

• City’s Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens Face Obstacles Meeting Soaring Need

(Quotes Distinguished Professor Nicholas Freudenberg)

City Limits | April 3, 2020

• No, You Really Don’t Need To Stock Up On Bottled Water For A Coronavirus Shutdown

(Associate Professor Nevin Cohen interviewed)

Forbes | March, 17, 2020