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NYC Releases Updated Food Standards for Foods and Beverages Served by 11 City Agencies

Updated Food Standards Aim to Improve Nutrition of Approx. 219 Million Meals and Snacks Served Per Year by City Programs Including Schools, Public Hospitals, Older Adult Centers and Others

For the First Time, Food Standards Will Restrict Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners and Artificial Colors in Meals Served – Building on NYC Public Schools Longstanding Practices

August 26, 2025 — Today, the New York City Health Department (NYC Health Department) and the Mayor’s Office of Food Policy (MOFP) released updates to the New York City Food Standards for Meals and Snacks Purchased and Served to further strengthen the nutrition of meals and snacks served to New Yorkers through City agencies. As part of the Chronic Disease Strategy for New York City, the enhanced standards will restrict artificial colors and increase restrictions on low-and no calorie sweeteners as well as increase weekly offerings of minimally processed plant proteins, among other changes.

"I often say, when it comes to your health, it's not just what is in your DNA, it's also what is in your dinner. I've turned my life around from being pre-diabetic to living a plant-based diet, and when we came into office, we committed to ensuring all New Yorkers have access to healthy, fresh foods," said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. "I commend the Health Department and our Office of Food Policy for updating standards for foods served across city agencies. By looking at the meals we serve, we are making New Yorkers healthier and achieving our mission of making New York City the best place to raise a family."

“Every New Yorker deserves access to delicious healthy food that they feel good about eating,” said Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse. “The new Standards underline our longstanding work to ensure New Yorkers have access to healthier foods while advancing our commitment to health equity and climate health. Through the new Standards, the NYC Health Department furthers its efforts to increase life expectancy by targeting chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease – advancing our HealthyNYC goals.”

“Each meal we serve is an opportunity to support New Yorkers’ well-being. The updated Food Standards, driven by the best available science, are helping make healthy eating more accessible by ensuring meals are nutritious and culturally relevant,” said Mayor's Office of Food Policy Executive Director Kate MacKenzie. “Food is an effective tool to fight chronic disease and improve our environment. Baking these Standards into every meal fosters a healthy future for people, communities, and the planet.”

Starting July 1, 2026, the updated NYC Food Standards aim to support the health of more than one million New Yorkers, including schoolchildren, older adults, NYC Health + Hospitals patients, and others accessing meals or snacks from city agencies, and build on the progress to serve healthier meals to New Yorkers since the Food Standards were launched in 2008. The Food Standards apply to over 219 million meals and snacks served annually across 11 city agencies.

The NYC Food Standards have used evidence-based criteria to promote whole and minimally processed fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy proteins and limit highly processed foods with too much sodium, saturated fat and added sugar. Major updates include:

Expanding the restriction on low- and no-calorie sweeteners in food and beverages served to all ages from a previous limit that applies to children age 18 and younger
Establishing new restrictions on all artificial colors and certain flour additives and preservatives
Eliminating all processed meats
Increasing the requirement for serving whole or minimally processed plant protein foods
Strengthening snack requirements to improve variety and nutrition quality

NYC Food Standards aim to reduce the prevalence of chronic disease by improving dietary intake and to help combat some of the structural inequities, including access to health food, that make opportunities for healthy eating so challenging. The Standards are also an opportunity to implement best practices that advance City food purchases and meal programs toward NYC’s equity, health and sustainability goals and help influence the broader food service supply chain and system.

New York City agencies have been mandated to follow the Food Standards for foods and beverages served for nearly 20 years, with updates made in 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2022. In 2022, Executive Order 8 required that MOFP Policy and the NYC Health Department revise the city agencies’ Food Standards every three years. Eleven City agencies are affected by this executive order, including the:

New York City Administration for Children’s Services,
New York City Department for the Aging,
New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services,
New York City Department of Correction,
New York City Department of Education,
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene,
New York City Department of Homeless Services,
New York City Department of Parks and Recreation,
New York City Department of Youth and Community Development,
New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, and
New York City Human Resources Administration.

More information about the Food Standards can be found on the NYC Health Department's website and searching “nutrition at work.”

The NYC Health Department has additional food initiatives to support all New Yorkers with healthier eating, including:

Nutrition Incentive and Food Access Programs:

Health Bucks are coupons redeemable for fruits and vegetables at all NYC farmers markets. For every $2 spent in SNAP benefits at NYC markets, shoppers get $2 in Health Bucks, up to $10 per day. Health Bucks are also distributed by community-based organizations through nutrition and health programming and by elected officials and other organizations that purchase the coupons.
Get the Good Stuff offers a dollar-for-dollar match, up to $10 per day, on SNAP purchases of eligible fruits, vegetables and beans at 24 participating supermarkets.
Groceries to Go provides participants with credits to purchase groceries online for pickup or delivery from local stores through Mercato, a web-based grocery platform. The program also provides a 50% discount on purchases of fresh produce using their credits.

Nutrition Education Programs:

Stellar Farmers Markets provides seasonal free nutrition education workshops and cooking demonstrations at select farmers markets and farm stands.
Eat Well Play Hard in Child Care Settings supports staff and families associated with group childcare centers across New York City with implementing healthy eating policies and practices through nutrition workshops for adults and children and technical assistance for childcare center staff.

Food Retail Support:

Shop Healthy NYC works to increase access to high-quality, affordable, healthier food options in neighborhoods facing food insecurity; an abundance of unhealthy food and higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related diseases; and an oversaturation of predatory marketing.

“If we are to bend the curve on heart disease, diabetes, and diet-related chronic conditions, we need to harness the power of government food policy to put healthy food within reach for everyone,” said Anupama Joshi, Vice President of Programs with the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “New York City’s food standards should serve as a model for cities, states, and even the federal government—and this wouldn’t be the first time that the city has led the way.”

“The updated NYC Food Standards are a bold step forward in using institutional food purchasing as a tool for public health. By serving over 219 million meals annually, these standards have the potential to significantly impact diet-related chronic diseases affecting New York City's most vulnerable populations. And by ensuring that any New Yorker accessing city meals receives nutritious food, the standards are addressing structural inequities that make healthy eating inaccessible to many,” said Nevin Cohen, Ph.D., Director for the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Press Office PressOffice@health.nyc.gov