14% of New Yorkers don’t eat their fruits or veggies.
Eat Your Fruits and Veggies
The NYC Health Department is making healthy food more accessible in our city's "food deserts", areas where fruits and vegetables are scarce and processed and fast foods are abundant. Food deserts are prevalent in underserved communities that have a disproportionate number of residents affected by obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions - illnesses that can be prevented with a healthier diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, foods that are not readily available in the neighborhoods that need them most.
The Green Cart Initiative, a project supported by private foundation funding to the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City, strives to promote the health of residents in these underserved communities by supporting the expansion of Green Carts, food carts that offer fresh, high-quality produce. The NYC Health Department's work with private support is helping to conduct outreach activities to promote the use of Green Carts.
In August 2009, the Aperture Foundation and the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund commissioned photography from five emerging photographers to document the Green Cart program. The initiative is a two year project and will culminate in an exhibition in September 2011. Click here to view early photographs of the exhibition.
Click here to learn more about the NYC Green Cart program.
