The Food-Ed Hub, the first such initiative in the country, will fill an identified gap in New York City’s education landscape. According to Tisch Food Center research, 44% of New York City public schools – the largest school district in the nation – lack external food and nutrition education programming. The Hub will foster collaboration and coordination among school-based food and nutrition education organizations to align resources, increase efficiency, avoid duplication of effort, and identify best practices that can be brought to scale.

“Teachers College is known as a convener of thoughtful, evidence-based discussion, dedicated to broad social goals. The Food-Ed Hub continues our role at the forefront of food and nutrition education—a key component of a whole child educational approach that supports student well-being and academic achievement,” said Thomas Bailey, 11th President of Teachers College, Columbia University. “We sincerely thank the entire New York City Council, and especially City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Councilman Rafael Espinal, Councilman Mark Treyger, Councilman Mark Levine, and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer for their vision and leadership in funding the Food-Ed Hub in the FY2020 budget.”

“All New York City students deserve equal access to healthy, sustainable, and culturally responsive food and nutrition education, yet not all students have these opportunities. With the Food-Ed Hub, we will work alongside our food and nutrition education colleagues to identify a collective agenda, with the long-range goal of attaining access to high-quality programming for all New York City students,” said Dr. Pamela Koch, EdD, RD, Research Associate Professor and Executive Director, Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy, Program in Nutrition, Teachers College, Columbia University.

“Food policy is a critical issue facing our city that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. This Council is making nutritional education a priority and is proud to support Teachers College, Columbia University and this groundbreaking Food-Ed Hub, which will greatly improve the way New York City students learn about healthy and sustainable food options,” said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson.

“Healthy habits start young—studies show eating better helps students do better in the classroom now and succeed in the future,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “I advocated for funding for the Food-Ed Hub to be included in the NYC budget and I am thrilled that it has been.”

“Our children deserve nutritious, sustainable and equitable food options in our city’s schools. The City Council has made a commitment to improving the health and welfare of our children by adopting a budget that funds the NYC Food-Ed Hub for Fiscal Year 2020. With the allocation, the Tisch Food Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, will provide a catalyst to develop nutrition education programs to better provide our teachers, students and their families’ guidelines for successful dietary lifestyles,” said Council Member Mark Treyger, Chair of the Committee on Education. “I also want to commend Speaker Corey Johnson for leading this effort to support our students learning healthy eating habits, so that they can obtain the knowledge to make independent choices about their health.”

"I am proud to have stood with the students, parents, and teachers who have advocated for better nutrition and wellness in our schools,” said Council Member Rafael Espinal. “This Food-Ed Hub is going to be a center of best practices and improve the efficiency, accessibility, and success, of the many great programs that are already operating. This coordination will help identify gaps and new areas of need, and is an integral tool to a future where every child is able to eat well."

“Giving our students a comprehensive, evidenced-based food and nutrition education is not only an effective way we can vastly improve their sustained wellbeing but it is also a key to fighting several of our city’s most pressing health crises,” said City Council Health Chair Mark Levine. “Diabetes, pre-diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and a host of other negative health conditions that we are seeing high rates of in the City are all the direct consequences of unhealthy eating habits. The Food-Ed Hub will work to counter these bad habits early enough in a child's development to have life long beneficial effects and give the next generation the tools needed to manage their diet effectively.”

“Congratulations to our partners at Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy, in the Program in Nutrition at Teachers College, Columbia University on being awarded the Food-Ed Hub of NYC by the City Council. The Tisch Food Center plays a crucial role in engaging NYC educators, policy makers, and community advocates in conversations around food systems, nutrition education and policy change,” said Charmaine Ruddock, Project Director, Bronx Health REACH, Institute for Family Health. “With the NYC Food-Ed Hub, the Tisch Food Center can connect schools in high-needs communities with the programs and resources necessary to increase student nutrition education and improve their health environment inside and outside of the classroom.”

"Edible Schoolyard NYC is delighted that the New York City Council is investing in this new Food-Ed Hub through the Tisch Food Center. There is no organization that is better positioned to lead this new endeavor, the first of it's kind in the country. We are excited to work with the Tisch Food Center and alongside our non-profit, city and school partners to support all of our goals around providing all children in New York City schools with holistic food and nutrition education and access, and advancing health and equity for all children,” said Kate Brashares, Executive Director, Edible Schooolyard NYC.

“Funding for wellness and nutrition education programming is an excellent investment for our children and their communities. Research from the National Institutes of Health has shown that healthy habits - when instilled early - can have lasting positive effects in a child’s life,” said Christine Appah, Senior Staff Attorney, Environmental Justice Program, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. “Although today’s children are facing higher rates of childhood obesity and diabetes, innovative programming and community support can mitigate and reduce these numbers. We thank the City Council for prioritizing the programming that our schools need to help guide children towards healthier lives and futures."

"Nutrition education may be the most powerful form of knowledge a child can receive. Through nutrition education, students have exciting and engaging experiences gardening, cooking, and critically thinking about our food supply. Students gain knowledge and skills to make food choices that promote health, ecological sustainability, and social justice. They gain confidence to navigate our challenging food environments and persuasive marketing of unhealthy foods,” says Andrea Strong, Founder of the NYC Healthy School Food Alliance. “Through the Food-Ed Hub, we can work to fill gaps in school-based nutrition education programs, which are proven to be cost-effective, saving $900 - $12,000 for each additional life year resulting from obesity prevention. This ranks more favorably than other health sector interventions such as pharmaceuticals or taxes/bans on certain food items, according to a recent McKinsey Global Institute Report. Initial research on the impact of state-level nutrition education funding on BMI has shown that investments in nutrition education have the desired effect of decreasing overweight and obesity.”

The Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy (Tisch Food Center), in the Program in Nutrition, Teachers College, Columbia University, cultivates research about connections between a just, sustainable food system and healthy eating, and translates it into recommendations and resources for educators, policy makers, and community advocates. The Center focuses on schools as critical levers for learning and social change.

Teachers College, Columbia University, is the first and largest graduate school of education in the United States and is perennially ranked among the nation’s best. Through its three main areas of expertise—education, health and psychology Teachers College engages in disciplinary and interdisciplinary research, the preparation of dedicated public service professionals, work with local, national and global communities, and informing public policy to create a smarter, healthier, and more equitable and peaceful world. Today, Teachers College has more than 5,000 students, more than 20 percent of whom come from outside the U.S., representing 84 different countries. Among students who are U.S. citizens, 45 percent identify as non Caucasian. There are more than 170 full-time faculty members at Teachers College, where funded research expenditures in 2017-2018 totaled more than $60 million. www.tc.edu.

Download the press release here:Food-Ed Hub Release