Eric Adams and the food policies: New York City’s mayor for Vegan Fridays

Vegan Fridays at NYC’s public schools

Vegan Fridays and more plant-based meals also in other facilities such as prisons or hospitals, as well as more initiatives to promote urban farming and activities for a healthy and balanced diet. There are many projects in the pipeline of NYC’s mayor Eric Adams, who took office in January 2022. Vegan Fridays in public schools were already implemented last February, which prompted mixed feelings from parents. The plan is to change eating habits at NYC public school cafeterias by April, while improving the living conditions of the poorest neighborhoods through financial funds allocated to food stores. There will then be room for hydroponic farming and terrace gardens, but Adams is also considering the taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages.

NYC food policy

This isn't the first time that the New York City’s mayor has addressed food issues – Bill de Blasio, for instance, required chain restaurants to post calorie counts on menu boards in 2017, while Michael Bloomberg banned trans fats in restaurants and attempted to impose a soda tax – but Adams is really focused on the issue. Vegan and suffering from type 2 diabetes, the mayor has publicly stated that the plant-based diet has helped him improve his health, and he considers food as the key to solving many current issues: "There is a level of connectivity with food policies that we have often ignored. There is no better way to strengthen your immune system than the right food."

School cafeterias and fat reduction

At the moment, however, the projects are still to be defined. The Vegan Fridays themselves are a work in progress, as Adams asserted, "this is just the beginning of a conversation. Now we need to sit down at the table to evaluate the next steps and figure out where we went wrong and what else we can do." Among the proposals, also the one to ban chocolate milk from vending machines in schools, and several sweet snacks: still to be developed, these initiatives have been met with criticism from manufacturers, but Adams seems willing to proceed in this direction. Among the next steps, the collaboration with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to raise nutrition-related quality standards in cafeterias, with particular attention to sodium and sugar limits.

by Michela Becchi