NYHealth President and CEO David Sandman, Ph.D., issued the following statement on the passage of the Good Food NY bill on June 6, 2024:
A Good Day for Good Food in New York
Today, New York took an important step to provide healthier local food to the millions of New Yorkers who eat in settings like schools, hospitals, correctional and long-term care facilities, homeless shelters, and senior and childcare centers. The enactment of the Good Food NY bill by both houses of the State legislature will enable public institutions to buy foods of higher nutritional value. It will also create more opportunities for small farms and suppliers to compete successfully for institutional contracts.
Historically, State policy has required municipalities to select the lowest-cost bidder. But the cheapest food is often not the best food, and food-insecure New Yorkers are sometimes asked to subsist on food that can harm their health. This new policy supports the collective purchasing power of public institutions to improve food quality, lower costs, and support local agriculture. The potential positive impact is vast; through its agencies and public institutions, New York State purchases and serves hundreds of millions of meals annually.
We applaud Senator Hinchey, Senator Krueger, and Assembly Majority Leader Peoples-Stokes for championing this important legislation. Many of NYHealth’s grantees and partners contributed to today’s policy win. We congratulate them all, especially Community Food Advocates, the Good Food Buffalo Coalition, and the Natural Resources Defense Council on their successful advocacy for this meaningful change. Foundation staff have also testified about good food purchasing and held events highlighting the approach.
We stand ready to continue to work with our partners across New York State to ensure Good Food NY is implemented well and that as many New Yorkers as possible have the nutritious, New York-grown food they need to thrive.
