Food Metrics Report 2015 Food Policy The City of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio Table of Contents Introduction 5 Section 1 Section 2 6 12 Addressing Improving Food Insecurity City Food Procurement in New York City and Service Section 3 Section 4 18 29 Increasing Supporting a Healthy Food Access Sustainable and and Awareness Just Food System Appendix 39 40 Acknowledgments 41 End Notes 42 Annual Food Metrics 104 Local Law 52 Photo Credit: Emma Banay | Grow to Learn NYC www.nyc.gov/foodpolicy INTRODUCTION The New York City Council established reporting requirements for a variety of city agency initiatives related to food (Local Law 52 of 2011). The Food Metrics Report provides a snapshot of data from those programs in 2015 as well as trends over the past three years. These metrics show great progress over the past few years in addressing a number of needs still present in the food system. We continue to expand this report to encompass the broad range of programs and initiatives that the City is doing to address food insecurity; improve City food procurement and food service, increase healthy food access and awareness, and support a more sustainable and just food system. The Food Metrics Report serves as a resource for New Yorkers to understand the role City government can play in addressing the food needs of our City’s residents. However, our success relies upon our partnership with communities, advocates, non-profit organizations, and the private sector to work towards a stronger food system that is environmentally sustainable and resilient, and which works better for producers of food, workers in the food system, and consumers of food, regardless of income. 5 www.nyc.gov/foodpolicy Section 1 Addressing Food Security in New York City Food insecurity is the lack of access, at times, to enough nutritionally adequate food for an active, healthy life for all members of a household. Food-insecure families may worry that food will run out before they have enough money to buy more, eat less than they should, or be unable to afford to eat balanced meals. Food insecurity disproportionately impacts certain groups. These are households with low income, unemployment and underemployment, as well as households headed by Blacks and Hispanics, and households with children1,2,3. Increasingly, families that are food insecure have one member of the household that is working. Adults who are food insecure are more likely to experience cardiovascular disease, and have difficulty managing and improving chronic illnesses5,6,7. Food insecurity is also associated with overweight, because families may be forced to sacrifice food quality in order to get enough food8. Food insecurity is especially harmful for children. The consequences of childhood food insecurity, including poor health outcomes, can be devastating and long-lasting. They include more frequent hospitalizations of young children with very low food security, birth defects in children born from food insecure mothers, greater risk of iron deficiency anemia, and poor academic performance9,10,11,12. New York City is committed to working towards a city where everyone has enough nutritious food to eat, through a range of initiatives in partnership with community- based and nonprofit organizations. We support the city’s emergency food providers with the purchase of nutritious food, and are working to connect food-insecure New Yorkers with food assistance through public awareness campaign and targeted outreach to those that are potentially eligible for benefits. 6 www.nyc.gov/foodpolicy Section 1 - Addressing Food Insecurity in New York City Food Insecurity In New The York City Meal Gap The USDA monitors the extent and Feeding America has done analysis to severity of food insecurity in U.S. project national food insecurity data to households through an annual, nationally the county level and identify where there representative survey. is a Meal Gap, the meals missing from the homes of families and individuals struggling with food insecurity. At least some time during 2013 1.36 Million New Yorkers Currently, were food insecure New York City is missing 16.5% 241 million meals nearly one in five children live in food insecure households13 7 www.nyc.gov/foodpolicy Section 1 - Addressing Food Insecurity in New York City Estimated Food Food-insecure Insecurity Population Rate Total Population Brooklyn 502,240 2,539,789 18.8% Queens 300,190 2,256,400 19.8% Bronx 262,580 1,397,315 15.3% Manhattan 246,120 1,605,272 13.3% Staten Island 49,610 470,223 10.6% 1,000,000 500,000 0 0 500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 2,500,000 3,000,000 Meal Gap Staten Island 8,780,900 Bronx 46,476,300 Queens 53,133,300 Brooklyn Manhattan 88,895,900 43,562,900 Source: Food Bank for NYC, based on Feeding America 2015 8 www.nyc.gov/foodpolicy Section 1 - Addressing Food Insecurity in New York City Meal Gap by Neighborhood Tabulation Area No Population > 0.9M Missing Meals > 0.9-1.9M Missing Meals > 1.9-2.9M Missing Meals More than 2.9M Missing Meals Source: Map analysis by Food Bank for New York City, based on Gunderson, C., Engelhard E., Satoh A,. & Waxman E. Map the Meal Gap 2015: Food Insecurity and Childhood Food Insecurity Estimates at the County Level. Feeding America 2015 9 www.nyc.gov/foodpolicy Section 1 - Addressing Food Insecurity in New York City Snap Benefits for Seniors* SNAP Outreach Programs* Many seniors in New York City do not HRA’s Office of Supplemental Nutrition receive the food assistance they are eligible Assistance Program Outreach Services for. Over the past few years, the Human (SNAP-OS) seeks to maximize the City’s use Resources Administration (HRA), the of federal programs available to increase Department for the Aging (DFTA), and the purchasing power of low-income New Food Bank for New York City have worked Yorkers by educating the public about SNAP together to identify senior citizens eligible benefits. SNAP-OS’ services include SNAP for but not receiving SNAP benefits through trainings and presentations; prescreening a computer match with the Senior Citizens potentially eligible applicants; and assisting Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) program. with the SNAP application process. Over the past three years, HRA has grown this program by increasing the budget, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program number of outreach sites, and the total (SNAP) enrollment among seniors has gone number of presentations. up over the past three years. On average in FY 2015, there were 299,147 NYC residents In FY 2014, SNAP-OS conducted outreach at 65 years or older receiving SNAP benefits 262 unduplicated sites and three facilitated each month. enrollment (POS) sites. In addition, this program conducted 60 presentations at various community-based, human services, and government organizations, and monitored SNAP outreach activity at 91 community based organizations. The budget for this program for FY 2014 was $2,532,068. one in ten senior New Yorkers lives in a household with insufficient food 2015 17% 2012 * Throughout this report, metrics that are required pursuant to Local Law 52 of 2011 are delineated Senior SNAP enrollment with an asterisk. 10 www.nyc.gov/foodpolicy Section 1 - Addressing Food Insecurity in New York City FoodHelp.nyc In order to reach more New Yorkers who qualify for SNAP, HRA launched a major SNAP outreach campaign in April 2015 targeting the two largest unenrolled but eligi- ble groups – seniors and immigrants. The centerpiece of the campaign is a market- ing website, foodhelp.nyc, which includes videos featuring real SNAP clients sharing stories of how the program helped them, links to the newly redesigned ACCESS NYC site where people can apply, and an interactive map with the locations of food pantries, community kitchens and in-person SNAP application locations. Source: HRA 11 www.nyc.gov/foodpolicy Section 1 - Addressing Food Insecurity in New York City Section 2 Improving City Food Procurement and Service New York City serves approximately 250 million meals and snacks per year. Over 177 million meals a year are served in New York City schools, at approximately 1800 schools in the five boroughs. In addition to schools, New York City either directly or through its nonprofit partners serves an additional 72 million meals in homeless shelters, child care centers, after school programs, correctional facilities, and public hospitals and care facilities. The Department of Correction (DOC) prepares and serves 35,000 meals per day for inmates and staff. The Department operates its own bakery facility on Rikers Island, which prepares approximately 4,100 loaves of bread daily, plus cakes for special occasions. The Department for the Aging (DFTA) serves over 41,000 meals daily through home-delivered meals and at senior centers, which often include dishes representing the cultures of origin of the meal recipients. The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) prepares fresh meals on site for approximately 2750 residents in secure juvenile detention facilities and group homes, as well as meals for approximately 15,000 children and youths awaiting foster care placements every year. ACS also administers the largest publicly-funded childcare system in the country, serving meals and snacks to approximately 30,000 children in child care centers throughout the five boroughs. New York City continues to utilize the scale of its food procurement and food service programs to purchase and provide food that meets high nutrition standards, and where possible, is sourced regionally, to millions of New Yorkers.