The seventh and final report in the “City Voices: New Yorkers on Health” series, “Food and Nutrition: Hard Truths about Eating Healthy” shows that while food stamps and food pantries are critical resources, they are falling short when it comes to helping low-income New Yorkers maintain healthy eating habits. The report is the result of surveys and focus groups conducted in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, with residents representing more than 10 ethnic and cultural groups talking about the issues that have the greatest impact on their overall health and wellbeing. Community health advocates also express their views in a report that explores food insecurity and the ways that cultural differences may impact healthy eating habits.

New York City’s Green Cart initiative has increased access to healthy food in otherwise underserved high-density and low-income neighborhoods, influenced customers’ consumption of fruits and vegetables, and created jobs for immigrant entrepreneurs, according to researchers at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). The researchers suggest the program can and should be replicated in urban areas across the country.

Walk Score announced the ranking of the best and worst U.S. cities for access to food. The ranking measures access to healthy food by calculating the percent of people in a city who can walk to a grocery store in 5 minutes.

MyTown Marketplace, a supermarket that serves the Highland Falls community of New York State, opened in 2011 with a grant provided by the New York Healthy Food Healthy Communities (HFHC) Fund.  The HFHC Fund is a healthy food financing program that supports healthy food retail projects in communities where residents struggle with limited access to healthy foods. The HFHC Fund is administered by the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), a national community development financial institution, and The Food Trust, a national food access organization.

The Local Initiatives Support Corporation New York City (LISC NYC) has launched a three-year pilot program to help low-income families in New York live longer and healthier by expanding access to healthy food in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Called Communities for Healthy Food NYC, the new program connects to broader LISC NYC efforts to revitalize struggling communities and improve overall quality of life. It focuses both on locating healthy food outlets in places without them and educating residents about nutrition, food preparation and overall health.

The Hudson Valley Food Hub is part of a larger Food Hub initiative supported by The Local Economies Project (LEP), a program of The New World Foundation. The initiative works to build capacity and infrastructure for the regional food system for the benefit of farmers, citizens and communities. The Local Economies Project commissioned a comprehensive study to identify potential infrastructure challenges that hinder the growth of the local farm economy and whether food hubs could be one means for addressing these challenges. See also the Executive Summary.

The Hudson Valley Food Hub is part of a larger Food Hub initiative supported by The Local Economies Project (LEP), a program of The New World Foundation. The initiative works to build capacity and infrastructure for the regional food system for the benefit of farmers, citizens and communities. The Local Economies Project commissioned a comprehensive study to identify potential infrastructure challenges that hinder the growth of the local farm economy and whether food hubs could be one means for addressing these challenges. This executive summary highlights the general findings.

Hunts Point Produce Market, located in the South Hunts Bronx, receives premium fruits and vegetables daily from 49 states and 55 countries, and provides 60 percent of New York City's produce. Every day a fleet of trucks delivers the market's fresh food throughout the five boroughs, yet only a miniscule amount gets distributed to the South Bronx, a community underserved by traditional supermarkets and green grocers. This article discusses several city programs that are improving healthy food access in areas like the South Bronx and suggests improvements for greater impactful change.

In order to improve access to healthy food and improve the negative health consequences associated with living in food deserts, 12 states (including Illinois and Michigan) have passed legislation since 2001. Seven others (including Nebraska and Ohio) have introduced bills that are pending or did not pass.

The New York Healthy Food & Healthy Communities (HFHC) Fund is a $30 million public-private partnership that provides financing to build and expand food markets in neighborhoods with limited or no access to affordable, nutritious food.