Mayoral Candidate Food Debate: "NYC Food Forum" Tonight

I am really looking forward to tonight's mayoral debate -- New York City Food Forum -- about our great city's food system. Food Systems NYC (FSNYC), founded in 2004, is co-hosting the event. FSNYC is the city's network of professionals working in our local food system -- cooks and chefs, producers and farmers, nutrition, anti-hunger, and advocacy eaters -- that I've written about quite a bit over the years (read past posts here). 

NYC Food Forum Logo, courtesy of Food Systems NYC website

In the meantime, here's the press release and details for this sold out event. I suspect Chris Quinn and Bill de Blasio will lead the charge -- it will be interesting to hear what food systems candidates Catsimatidis of the Gristedes grocery store family, and Weiner, brother of Bridgehampton and Manhattan Chef Jason Weiner, will have to say. 

Don't miss NYC Food Forum live at 6:00 tonight:  
Livestream 
Twitter Hash Tag #NYCFoodForum 

Read more about NYC's Food System: 

Lighthearted Locavore Blog - articles 
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FOOD SYSTEMS NETWORK NYC RELEASES “RECIPE FOR THE FUTURE OF FOOD IN NEW YORK CITY” TO ADVOCATE FOR FOOD POLICY VISION DURING AND AFTER CITY-WIDE ELECTIONS

New York, New York – July 17, 2013 New York City is a food town, perhaps THE food town in the United States. Our health, economy, and environment are tied closely to our food system.  During the past decade, undeniable progress has been made to raise awareness of, and improve, the City’s food system. But, much remains to be done. Hunger and diet-related disease persist. Climate change, the loss of regional farmland, and the lack of new farmers threaten our regional food system.  And, our economy, still struggling back from the Great Recession, presents food system challenges and opportunities.

What better way to call for a better New York City food future than in the context of a recipe?  And so, Food Systems Network NYC (FSNYC) presents the "Recipe for the Future of Food in New York City", a vision for food systems change. FSNYC is a co-host of the 2013 Mayoral candidate forum on the future of food in New York City, taking place on Wednesday evening, July 17, 2013 at the New School’s Tishman Auditorium from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This year is an important election year for food.  The election is an opportunity to reflect on the progress we've made, but also to recognize what is left undone.

The Recipe offers our city’s food communities—anti-hunger, health, agriculture, distribution, labor, and eaters— a basis to engage in cooking up a better food system, through conversation, collaboration, and advocacy, that will inspire our city’s leaders to act, beginning with our next mayor. Tonight’s Mayoral Forum is a glimpse into the candidates’ food policy visions and how they align with FSNYC’s vision for real integrated policy partnership between government and nongovernmental stakeholders and the creation of a real food plan for New York City. FSNYC believes that a mayor and other elected officials who understand the importance of food to our city are critical to achieving a fairer and more sustainable, resilient, and economically stronger food system that will benefit every New Yorker.

Download:     The most recent version of the Recipe can be downloaded

The Recipe for the Future of Food in New York City calls for ingredients from six categories:

1. A New Public Partnership for Food (a City of New York Department of Food and an Independent New York City Food Systems Council)
2. Better Health and an End to Hunger
3. A Strong Food Economy with Good Jobs
4. Support for Regional Agriculture through Smart Procurement and Protection of Working Land and Water Resources
5. New Farm-to-Plate Distribution Infrastructure
6. Better Food Waste Reduction and Nutrient Recovery

About Food Systems Network NYC

FSNYC is a membership organization dedicated to supporting universal access to wholesome, nutritious, and healthful food and a strong, regional farm and food economy by cultivating community and fostering communication among food system stakeholders. FSNYC is a program of the Fund for the City of New York. http://foodsystemsnyc.org.

Contact:

Caitlin Salemi, General Coordinator, Food Systems Network NYC

Phone: 347-746-7946

Email: caitlin@foodsystemsnyc.org