FRESH Standards

Thanks to everyone who endorsed our letter asking that the New York City Council, Borough Presidents, and the City Planning Commission include standards in the FRESH program.

A re-FRESH-ing step in the right direction.

New York City is one step closer to food justice. On December 9^th, the City Council passed the F.R.E.S.H. program into law. Thanks to Speaker Quinn, members of the Good Food Good Jobs Coalition, and to the activists, people of faith, labor organizations, elected officials, and urban planners who made this vote possible.

 

F.R.E.S.H. (Food Retail Expansion to Support Health) will give zoning incentives and tax abatements to supermarkets that open in neighborhoods that need better food access (see http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/fresh/index.shtml).

The program aims to create stores that provide Good Food and Good Jobs.

 

The F.R.E.S.H. program was developed through collaboration between the City Planning Department, the Economic Development Corporation, the Council and the Office of Speaker Quinn, and community groups. Because of the efforts of the Good Food Good Jobs Coalition, F.R.E.S.H. includes standards to guarantee that the program will truly empower communities.

 

Now that the program has passed, the Good Food Good Jobs coalition will be working to bring stores to neighborhoods that need them.

Please email good.food.good.jobs@gmail.com to join the movement to bring good food and good jobs to every New York City neighborhood.