New York Releases their Food Blueprint

Dear friends,

Below is information about the outline for a proposed New York City food policy that may be of interest in Seattle’s planning process.
Best wishes,

~Mark Musick

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New York City Food System Blueprint Released

http://mbpo.org/release_details.asp?id=1496

On Wednesday, February 17, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer released a detailed report outlining a set of municipal food policy recommendations. Below is a link to the full report and an outline of primary recommendations:

Food NYC: A Blueprint for a Sustainable Food System (pdf)

www.libertycontrol.net/uploads/mbp/foodnyc.pdf



Recommendations:

· The city should facilitate the development of rooftop gardens and create an NYC Urban Agriculture Program, which would provide access, resources and information to promote community gardening.

· Redevelop the Hunts Point Produce Market to modernize the food delivery hub and ensure that the 8,500 jobs the facility maintains remain in the city.

· Dedicate city-owned spaces for farmer's markets around the five boroughs.

· Pass legislation that would require 20% of all food purchased by city agencies to come from local producers.

· Educate New York City's children to become healthy and environmentally aware eaters. Students should have access to some type of agricultural production, be it a community garden or urban farm.

· Create a large-scale municipal composting facility, as well as support small-scale composting through education, decentralized composting bins and more pickup locations.

· Ban the sale of bottled water in all city facilities and on municipal property, and increase the use of water fountains and canteens. Plastic water bottles waste an enormous amount of energy to produce, with only a small portion recycled.

· Create an Office of Food and Markets to coordinate and lead systemic reform of the city's food and agricultural policies and programs. Also, amend PlaNYC to include a comprehensive overhaul of the city's food system.