Dulce Sanchez

Food is a fundamental right that everyone should have access to. Unfortunately, food insecurity is a big issue in New York City due to the rise of food or rent costs, displacement, and unsteady employment. Due to food insecurity, which is the lack of access to enough food, there are nearly 2 million hungry New Yorkers; 596,060 being children. The lack of nutritious food can directly affect the mental, social, and behavioral development of school-aged children.

Processed foods are often cheaper to produce because they are more efficient to produce as they don’t require as much processing or packaging and are often subsidized by the government. However, ultra processed food is also easily made. According to Karsit (2023), Van Rens argued, ultra-processed food items — which aren’t perishable like fresh produce — are becoming cheaper. “Junk food is cheap because you can keep it forever. You can buy it in bulk, you can produce it in bulk, you can deliver it when it’s cheap to deliver it,” he said. Processed food is made in bulk production in factories since it could produce foods much more efficiently than farmers can grow. 

 Subsidized food is financial aid supplied by the government to an industry, farmers, or consumers, to make low-cost food available to people. In New York City, subsidized food is used to help tackle food insecurity. There is controversy surrounding subsiding food because it makes unhealthy food accessible to other people. But the subsidies and support programs are meant to stabilize crop prices, keep farmers farming, and to provide families with affordable and reliable food. 

One of the most known examples of a subsidized food program is the Food Stamp of 1964, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The purpose of SNAP is to provide nutritional support to low-income households by allowing them to purchase food. Some items that you can purchase with an EBT are fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products, etc. Overall, New York has a high rate of EBT users with a percentage of Residents Receiving Food Stamps: of 14.80% or a total number of 2,897,231 (Abbas 2024 para. 17). This is an example of a government program that helps low-income families.  

Another program designed to help people is The Department for the Aging’s Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) which is designed to provide eligible older New Yorkers with access to locally grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs. People who are eligible are given coupon booklets, worth $25, which can be used at participating farmers’ markets. The program aims to promote improved nutrition through increased consumption of locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables, and improve sales at participating vendors.

Another interesting program is Meat Free Monday which is a non-profit campaign to encourage people to have a healthier diet, save animals and the planet. Their goal is to not eat meat at least once a week. The website offers alternatives and recipes to embrace a healthier lifestyle. This organization is interesting because it shows that non-profit organizations want to create a change.  

There are programs made in New York to help low-income families receive food. They are also made to combat problems such as food insecurity, food deserts, and improve health for people.

References

Farmers Market Nutrition Program – NYC Aging. (n.d.). Www.nyc.gov. https://www.nyc.gov/site/dfta/about/farmers_market_nutrition_program.page

Karsit, I. (2023b, December 27). Healthy foods are often more expensive. Here’s why. CNBC; CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/27/healthy-foods-are-often-more-expensive-heres-why.htmlNew York City Council. (n.d.). Growing Food Equity in New York City. Data Team. https://council.nyc.gov/data/food-equity/