New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced that the city will begin serving healthier meals to New Yorkers with the release of its enhanced “New York City Food Standards, Meals/Snacks Purchased and Served” and the “New York City Food Standards, Beverage Vending Machines,” guidelines affecting hundreds of millions of meals and snacks served annually across 11 city agencies. Starting July 1, 2023, these standards — which have been compiled by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) — aim to support the health of more than 1 million New Yorkers, including schoolchildren, older adults, NYC Health + Hospitals patients, and others accessing meals or snacks from city agencies.

Major updates to the food standards include:

A new added sugar limit, requiring less than 10 percent of calories served come from added sugars,
A lower daily sodium limit for youth,
A new requirement for half of all grains served to be whole grain,
A new requirement for offering whole or minimally processed plant-proteins, such as beans,
A new limit for beef and processed meats,
A new requirement for agencies to solicit client feedback regarding cultural preferences, taste, and food quality,
A new restriction to eliminate sugary drinks in vending machines, as well as the creation of a new limit of two slots for 100 percent juice per vending machine, and
Integration of nutrition and sustainability standards to simultaneously address and strengthen individual and planetary health and better align the standards with the “Good Food Purchasing Framework.”

“I have long said that our agencies should not literally be feeding our ongoing health care crisis, by serving foods that contribute to chronic diet-related diseases,” said Mayor Adams. “These new food standards will help minimize the consumption of processed foods and sugary drinks, while encouraging whole and plant-based food options. This is a transformational step toward aligning our agencies’ missions and, more importantly, helping New Yorkers, including our most vulnerable, lead healthier, happier lives.”

As part of these new food standards, individuals accessing meals and/or snacks served at city agencies will have food with less added sugars, lower sodium, a reduced number of beef options, and more opportunities to have a plant-based protein. Additionally, sugary drinks will be removed from city vending machines. The standards being put in place follow evidenced-based nutrition criteria that all city agencies and their sub-contractors must apply to the meals and snacks they serve.