header#header { position: fixed !important;}

The CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute is an academic research and action center at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy located in Harlem, NYC. We provide evidence to inform municipal policies that promote equitable access to healthy, affordable food.

We apply an  intersectoral perspective that links nutrition and health to sustainable community and workforce development, and we engage partners from  city government, community organizations, and the university in food policy research and action.

News

Featured
Expanding Immigrant Access to Food Benefits in New York City: Defining Roles for City and State Government
Expanding Immigrant Access to Food Benefits in New York City: Defining Roles for City and State Government

For more than 50 years, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)  has helped millions of Americans to avoid hunger, improve their health and alleviate the consequences of poverty. Two other federal programs  Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and School Food have for decades provided similar protections for pregnant women, new mothers and their young children and school children, respectively.  From its earliest days, the United States has debated immigration policy, at times restricting access for some and at other times welcoming groups from many nations. Today, President Trump and Congress are acting to reverse two American traditions, providing food support for the hungry and welcoming those from other nations.  New York City and State have both the obligation and the opportunity to chart new paths in creating city, state and community programs that reaffirm these core American  values.

Read More →
REFRESH: Modifying the Food Retail Expansion to Support Health Program to Improve Healthy Food Access
REFRESH: Modifying the Food Retail Expansion to Support Health Program to Improve Healthy Food Access

A decade ago, New York City set out to improve access to healthy food in neighborhoods with insufficient full-service grocery stores. The resulting Food Retail Expansion to Support Health (FRESH) program, adopted in 2009, was modeled after the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing initiative and mirrored similar efforts in cities, states, and the federal government. FRESH eased zoning requirements for supermarket development and offered financial benefits to encourage supermarket operators to open and expand stores in designated FRESH zones.

Read More →

Upcoming Events