FINDING SYNERGY:
DEVELOPING LONG TERM FOOD GOALS FOR
UPPER MANHATTAN
A proposal for discussion at the Healthy Food
for Upper Manhattan by the NYC Food Policy
Center at Hunter College
Re-Cap of Last Meeting: Establishing Common Themes
Re-cap of Last Meeting: HFUM MAP
Looking Ahead: A proposal
Over the next 3-6 months, convene a working group of
Upper Manhattan food groups to develop shared long
term goals for local food groups in order to:
1. Find common ground that unites us
2. Maximize our cumulative impact
3. Use limited resources more efficiently
4. Create a culture of sharing and collective action
5. Avoid duplication of effort
Common Goals
To spark discussion, over the last 6 months we have consulted
with various groups to draft possible common goals. They are
presented here not as a finished product but as a first draft that
can be developed and refined over time.
POSSIBLE FOOD GOALS FOR UPPER MANHATTAN
Food Retail
1. Increase number and improve quality and affordability of supermarkets.
2. Increase number and affordability of alternative sources of healthy food.
Food Access
3. Improve quality and increase enrollment in local institutional food programs.
4. Ensure that all East Harlem residents are enrolled in food benefit and income support programs for
which they are eligible.
Marketing of Unhealthy Food
5. Reduce number of retail stores and restaurants that sell mainly unhealthy food
6. Reduce exposure of Upper Manhattan residents to various forms of promotion of unhealthy food.
Food Workers
7. Improve pay and working conditions of food workers who live and/or work in Upper Manhattan.
Nutrition Education and Counseling
8. Increase access to accurate, culturally appropriate nutrition information in multiple settings.
9. Strengthen capacity of local health care providers to offer appropriate nutritional services to patients
and families and create new health care jobs that promote healthier eating.
Food Democracy
10. Engage community residents and organizations in shaping Upper Manhattan East Harlem food
environments
Some Questions to Ask on Each Goal
What’s happening now?
What groups are active in this domain?
What have been achievements over last 5-10 years?
What are brick walls blocking progress?
What are windows of opportunity for moving
forward?
What can be achieved in Upper Manhattan and what
requires citywide or national action?
What metrics are available for tracking progress?
For example: Increase number and affordability of alternative
sources of healthy food.
What’s happening now?
Green carts
Farmers Markets
Food box distribution
CSAs
School-based food
distribution
What else?
What groups are active in
this domain?
Harvest Home
Corbin Hill Food Project
GROW NYC
DPHO
Harlem Seeds
Who else?
Goal: Increase number and affordability of
alternative sources of healthy food.
What have been achievements
over last 5-10 years?
• In 2002, no farmers market in
East Harlem.
• Now five in East Harlem and
others in Central Harlem and
Washington Heights
Goal: Increase number and affordability of
alternative sources of healthy food.
What are brick walls blocking
progress?
Inadequate distribution
system for alternative outlets,
high prices for fruits and
vegetables, quality
What are windows of opportunity
for moving forward?
DOHMH interest in
alternatives, state
funding, food hub
task force
Goal: Increase number and affordability of
alternative sources of healthy food.
What can be achieved in Upper Manhattan and what requires
citywide or national action?
Upper Manhattan
- Food Coops, CSA’s, etc.
- Creation of food hubs
- Increase storage
opportunities for Green
Cart owners
Citywide/National
- Increase health bucks
allocation and distribution
- Increase health bucks
allotted for Seniors
- Increase SNAP dollars and
find new incentives for
healthier food
Next steps?
We invite Healthy Food for Upper Manhattan members
interested in developing such goals to join a working group to
develop these ideas for presentation to HFUM at our next
meeting.