About & History

The Food Systems Network NYC is a collaborative, action-oriented membership body. Our group is composed primarily of not-for-profit organizations, government agencies, professionals, and food advocates with expertise in nutrition, hunger, health, local food, and agriculture. Our activities focus on collaboration, education, and advocacy. FSNYC was founded in 2004 through the efforts of the New York City Nutrition Education Network and the Council on the Environment of New York City (fiscal agent for FSNYC) to complement the emerging food policy council movement.

Our organization was established primarily to address the gaps and imbalances in the food systems serving New York City. These gaps and imbalances negatively affect the nutrition and health of New York City residents and the strength of our regional food and farm economy, and they require a coordinated response to achieve significant improvement. The food needs of the city’s most vulnerable populations – working poor, children, elderly, and homeless – are addressed by many city and state agencies and not-for-profit organizations that often work independently.

Food Systems Network NYC helps to meet the need for coordination and collaboration by regularly bringing together diverse players in the broader food system such as farmers and other food producers, nutrition and health administrators and educators, agriculture officials and farmers’ market program managers, school food service executives, anti-hunger program directors, community-based organization heads, and policy analysts engaged in advising elected officials.

Our members convene monthly at Open Networking meetings that are designed to: foster collaboration through information sharing and mutual education regarding critical food policy issues; inform members of relevant public hearings and other events; and promote opportunities for individuals to partner on specific projects.