Read the article below and answer the following questions: 1- What suggestions will you give NYC Mayor Adams to improve
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2022 6:42 am
Read the article below and answer the following
questions:
1- What suggestions will you give NYC Mayor Adams to
improve food insecurity and make healthy food more affordable and
available?
2- How can you improve your food choices at home with
your current situation?
To get full credit, you must answer both questions and keep a
length of at least 300 words.
Confronting
food insecurity is the key to improving NYC’s health.
By Gabby Lozano,
Dining Editor. March 4, 2022.
Mayor Eric Adams has
made nutrition a key component of his platform. However, to make
lasting improvements to New Yorkers’ health, he must address the
issue of food insecurity.
Mayor Eric Adams has
proposed several new initiatives that target the city’s
distribution and advertisement of nutritious food. Throughout his
campaign, the mayor promised to combat food insecurity and bring
food equity to the Bronx and Brooklyn, which experience higher
rates of food insecurity and poverty compared to other
boroughs.
Despite a brief affair
with fish at Rao’s, Mayor Eric Adams is bringing his passion for
plant-based foods to city hall and embarking on a quest to improve
the health of New Yorkers. The new mayor has enacted two executive
orders that target how the city distributes and advertises
nutritious food and introduced a public school program “Vegan
Fridays.” These actions are a great start at shaping the diet of
the Big Apple. But if Adams wants to effectively address the high
rates of chronic illness that plague the city, he’ll have to target
food insecurity.
Studies have shown
that people who experience food insecurity — a lack of consistent
access to adequate food — are more likely to develop chronic
illnesses, such as diabetes and cancer, than individuals with
higher food security. As of 2017, nearly 1.09 million New
Yorkers experience food insecurity, with residents of the Bronx
facing higher rates than residents of other boroughs. COVID-19
exacerbated this issue, causing food insecurity rates to increase
by 36%.
Mayor Adams is no
stranger to this issue. Growing up, the mayor witnessed first-hand
how a lack of affordable nutritious food worsened his mother’s
health.
“[The city government
was] giving her over-processed cheese, powdered milk, canned meat …
little did she know that was going to feed her diabetes, heart
disease, and arthritis,” Adams said at a press conference in the
Bronx.
Many other New Yorkers
experience similar health issues exacerbated by food insecurity.
More than half of New York City residents are obese. Meanwhile,
987,000 residents have diabetes — but 19% are unaware of their
condition. Adams’ recent executive orders took a stab at food
insecurity by providing healthier options at city-run agencies, but
to truly get to the meat of the matter — in a vegan way, of course
— he’ll have to target poverty, the root of food
insecurity.
“Being poor on its own
is demonstrably bad for health in our society,” food policy expert
Marion Nestle wrote in an email to WSN. “It prevents people from
having access to healthier foods … time for physical activity [and]
access to adequate education and health care. Food insecurity falls
right in the middle of all that and increases the stress of daily
life.”
Nestle, a former NYU
professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health, suggested
that the mayor should focus on improving citywide socio-economic
development, such as affordable health care and jobs. Nestle also
argued that he should provide education campaigns in order to
promote other steps for addressing food insecurity.
“I’m all for promoting
community gardens, cooking classes, farmers' markets, regional food
systems, and other methods to bring healthier foods into the city
at a cost that people can afford,” Nestle wrote.
Poverty and food
insecurity go hand in hand. Without addressing these problems, the
mayor cannot expect the health of the city to change much. We need
to look no further for a cautionary reminder than former Mayor
Michael Bloomberg, who proposed a series of controversial policies
that didn’t affect the high-calorie consumption of some
residents.
Throughout his
campaign, Adams promised to address food insecurity and bring food
equity to the Bronx and Brooklyn, which experience higher rates of
food insecurity and poverty compared to other boroughs. According
to Nestle, it’ll take a few years to fully examine the extent to
which the mayor’s policies and initiatives reduce food insecurity
and rates of chronic illness and obesity. For now, the only thing
we can be certain of is the eccentric mayor’s dedication to
promoting a plant-based diet among New Yorkers—with the occasional
fish dinner.
Contact Gabby
Lozano at [email protected]. She is a senior studying Global
Liberal Studies and minoring in food studies. After NYU, she
aspires to work as a digital reporter or producer.
questions:
1- What suggestions will you give NYC Mayor Adams to
improve food insecurity and make healthy food more affordable and
available?
2- How can you improve your food choices at home with
your current situation?
To get full credit, you must answer both questions and keep a
length of at least 300 words.
Confronting
food insecurity is the key to improving NYC’s health.
By Gabby Lozano,
Dining Editor. March 4, 2022.
Mayor Eric Adams has
made nutrition a key component of his platform. However, to make
lasting improvements to New Yorkers’ health, he must address the
issue of food insecurity.
Mayor Eric Adams has
proposed several new initiatives that target the city’s
distribution and advertisement of nutritious food. Throughout his
campaign, the mayor promised to combat food insecurity and bring
food equity to the Bronx and Brooklyn, which experience higher
rates of food insecurity and poverty compared to other
boroughs.
Despite a brief affair
with fish at Rao’s, Mayor Eric Adams is bringing his passion for
plant-based foods to city hall and embarking on a quest to improve
the health of New Yorkers. The new mayor has enacted two executive
orders that target how the city distributes and advertises
nutritious food and introduced a public school program “Vegan
Fridays.” These actions are a great start at shaping the diet of
the Big Apple. But if Adams wants to effectively address the high
rates of chronic illness that plague the city, he’ll have to target
food insecurity.
Studies have shown
that people who experience food insecurity — a lack of consistent
access to adequate food — are more likely to develop chronic
illnesses, such as diabetes and cancer, than individuals with
higher food security. As of 2017, nearly 1.09 million New
Yorkers experience food insecurity, with residents of the Bronx
facing higher rates than residents of other boroughs. COVID-19
exacerbated this issue, causing food insecurity rates to increase
by 36%.
Mayor Adams is no
stranger to this issue. Growing up, the mayor witnessed first-hand
how a lack of affordable nutritious food worsened his mother’s
health.
“[The city government
was] giving her over-processed cheese, powdered milk, canned meat …
little did she know that was going to feed her diabetes, heart
disease, and arthritis,” Adams said at a press conference in the
Bronx.
Many other New Yorkers
experience similar health issues exacerbated by food insecurity.
More than half of New York City residents are obese. Meanwhile,
987,000 residents have diabetes — but 19% are unaware of their
condition. Adams’ recent executive orders took a stab at food
insecurity by providing healthier options at city-run agencies, but
to truly get to the meat of the matter — in a vegan way, of course
— he’ll have to target poverty, the root of food
insecurity.
“Being poor on its own
is demonstrably bad for health in our society,” food policy expert
Marion Nestle wrote in an email to WSN. “It prevents people from
having access to healthier foods … time for physical activity [and]
access to adequate education and health care. Food insecurity falls
right in the middle of all that and increases the stress of daily
life.”
Nestle, a former NYU
professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health, suggested
that the mayor should focus on improving citywide socio-economic
development, such as affordable health care and jobs. Nestle also
argued that he should provide education campaigns in order to
promote other steps for addressing food insecurity.
“I’m all for promoting
community gardens, cooking classes, farmers' markets, regional food
systems, and other methods to bring healthier foods into the city
at a cost that people can afford,” Nestle wrote.
Poverty and food
insecurity go hand in hand. Without addressing these problems, the
mayor cannot expect the health of the city to change much. We need
to look no further for a cautionary reminder than former Mayor
Michael Bloomberg, who proposed a series of controversial policies
that didn’t affect the high-calorie consumption of some
residents.
Throughout his
campaign, Adams promised to address food insecurity and bring food
equity to the Bronx and Brooklyn, which experience higher rates of
food insecurity and poverty compared to other boroughs. According
to Nestle, it’ll take a few years to fully examine the extent to
which the mayor’s policies and initiatives reduce food insecurity
and rates of chronic illness and obesity. For now, the only thing
we can be certain of is the eccentric mayor’s dedication to
promoting a plant-based diet among New Yorkers—with the occasional
fish dinner.
Contact Gabby
Lozano at [email protected]. She is a senior studying Global
Liberal Studies and minoring in food studies. After NYU, she
aspires to work as a digital reporter or producer.