Jasper Lu

Ms. Hill

Nutritional Science

15 January 2014

Guiding the evolution of the food system in NYC

The current food system supplying food to the residents of NYC is outdated and

inefficient. Much of the food eaten in the city is transported in from far off places such as

California, or from Florida in the case of bananas. The system was by and large a side-effect of

the industrial revolution, when companies started to mass produce foods in certain areas and

transport them all over.1 This type of food system is what helped America produce enough food

for all of its citizens in the first place because it was a convenient.

However, at the same time it is convenient, it is also a less than ideal method of providing

food. By the current food system, chemicals have to be used to support the mass production of

food. Also, because food is transported such long distances to get to the market, not only is the

freshness of the produce being degraded, but also the environment because of the fossil fuels

consumed during the transportation process. A more regional food system, which would cut the

number of “food miles” needed to transport foods to NYC markets, would be much more

efficient and environmentally friendly.

In order to gauge the effectiveness of the current food system in NYC and to compare

this system to show how a regional one might be better, I created a five-day food plan and

estimated the costs of buying food for three of the five days. I later compared the nutrition in the

food plan with my nutritional needs.

1 Overview of the Global Food System

My nutritional needs were determined by taking into account a variety of factors: my age,

weight, and physical activity level. At the moment, I am 17 years old, weigh 150 pound, and am

6 feet, or 72 inches, tall. Using the basal metabolic rate (BMR) formula for men, which is 66 +

(6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years), I calculated my BMR

to be 1824 calories. After the basal metabolic rate is calculated, a multiplier, based on my

activity level, needs to be applied. For my specific activity level of being lightly active, which

consists of my walking everywhere and going to the gym three days a week, this multiplier

amounts to 1.3. In the end, my caloric needs amount to 2371 Calories per day. 2

In addition to calories, I also need to consume protein, carbohydrates, and fat. The

recommended daily allowance of protein intake for my exercise level is 0.5 grams of protein for

every pound I weight, totaling my protein needs to at least 75 grams a day.3 Carbohydrates

should be 45 to 65 percent of caloric intake, so I need at least 267 grams of carbohydrates every

day. Finally, fats should be around 25 to 35 percent of caloric intake, meaning I need at least 66

grams of fat every day.4 I decided to use the above guidelines because they are the official

Recommended Daily Allowances as specified by the U.S Department of Agriculture. After

calculating these nutritional needs, I charted a five-day food plan:

2 How to Calculate Your Caloric Needs3 Athletes and Protein4 Dietary Reference Intakes

Day 1 Amount Calories (Cal) Proteins (g) Carbs (g) Fat (g)Breakfast

Wheat Bread 2 pieces 192 2.6 12.3 3.5Milk 1 cup 150 8 12 8

LunchPotato 1 baked 255 1.9 5.6 0.1

Pizza 1 slice 168 7.6 20.4 6.1Orange Juice 1 cup 112 1.7 25.8 0.5

SnackGrapes 2 cups 248 2.4 63.2 1.2

DinnerSalad 1 ½ cup 33 2.6 6.7 0.1

Ranch Dressing 2 tbsp 148 0.4 1.3 15.6White Rice 1 cup 242 4.4 53.2 0.4

Beans ½ cup 110 7.9 20 0Soy Milk 1 cup 132 8 15.4 4.3

DesertIce Cream 1/2 cup 145 2.5 17 7.9

Total 1935 50 252.9 47.7

Day 2 Amount Calories (Cal) Protein (g) Carbs (g) Fat(g)Breakfast

English Muffie 1 muffin 120 4 25 1Milk 1 cup 150 8 12 8

LunchMacaroni and Cheese 1 cup 350 9.9 42 13

Biscuit 1 biscuit 128 2.2 17 5.8

SnackStrawberries 2 cups 98 2 23.4 1

Bread 2 slices 154 8.2 25.6 1

DinnerWhite Rice 1 cup 242 4.4 53.2 0.4

Avocado 1 cup 293 2.9 0.8 29.2Lentils 1 cup 230 17.9 39.9 0.8

Total 1765 59.5 238.9 60.2

Day 3 Amount Calories (Cal) Protein (g) Carbs (g) Fat(g)Breakfast

Banana 1 unit 105 1.3 27 0.4Pancakes 2 cakes 520 8.3 90 14

Milk 1 cup 150 8 12 8Lunch

Pizza 1 slice 168 7.6 20.4 6.1Snack

Grapes 2 cups 124 1.7 31.6 0.6Dinner

White Rice 1 cup 242 4.4 53.2 0.4Sweet Potato 1 cup 180 4 41.4 0.4Kidney Beans 1/2 cup 108 1.3 2.2 0.1

Soy Milk 1 cup 132 8 15.4 4.3Desert

Ice Cream 1/2 cup 145 2.5 17 7.9Total 1874 47.1 310.2 42.2

Day 4 Amount Calories (Cal) Protein (g) Carbs (g) Fat(g)Breakfast

Toast 2 slices 154 8.2 25.6 1Milk 1 cup 150 8 12 8

LunchSalad 1 1/2 cup 33 2.6 6.7 0.1

Ranch Dressing 2 tbsp 148 0.4 1.3 15.6Potato 1 baked 255 1.9 5.6 0.1

Orange Juice 1 cup 112 1.7 25.8 0.5Snack

Nuts 1 cup 529 20 20 45Dinner

Chunky Vegetable Spaghetti

1 serving 470 16 84 8

Soy Milk 1 cup 132 8 15.4 4.3Total 1983 66.8 196.4 82.6

Day 5 Amount Calories (Cal) Proteins (g) Carbs (g) Fat (g)Breakfast

Croissants 2 medium 462 9.4 52.2 24Milk 1 cup 150 8 12 8

LunchMozzarella Sticks 1 serving 347 22 35 15

Apple Juice 1 cup 117 0.1 29 0.3Snack

Fat Free Yogurt 1 pot 100 5 29 0

Bananas 1 unit 105 1.3 27 0.4Dinner

White Rice 1 cup 242 4.4 53.2 0.4Lentils 1/2 cup 115 8.9 19.9 0.4

Soy Milk 1 cup 132 8 15.4 4.3Tofu 1/2 cup 88 10.3 2.1 5.3

Total 1858 77.4 274.8 58.1

The food plan for the week did not match up with my nutritional needs. It was severely

lacking in terms of calories, with me only meeting 80% of my requirements for daily caloric

intake, and consuming not as much protein, carbohydrates, or fats as I should be. This was a

direct result of not eating enough food every day. To make up for this nutritional deficiency, I

could eat more snacks, such as grapes, throughout the day. Each serving of grapes already

provides a good amount of calories and carbohydrates. This, combined with its “popcorn-like”

nature would make it easy to gain back some of the lost calories. I can also eat another meal

altogether on top of this. In a given day, I generally only eat three meals: breakfast, lunch, and

dinner. If I were to eat another, slightly smaller than normal, meal in between lunch and dinner,

perhaps right after school, I would be able to consume the recommended amount of calories,

protein, fat, and carbohydrates every day.

After the food plan was drawn up, an estimate was formed for the food costs of three of

the days, taking into account the individual ingredients of each food during the days. Afterward,

the foods were priced out at three food markets in TriBeCa: Whole Foods, an organic food

supermarket; The Food Emporium, a supermarket; and Morgans Market, a local deli. The

following charts show the prices of food per day:

Day 1 Amount Estimated Cost Whole Foods The Food Morgans

Emporium MarketBreakfast

Wheat Bread 2 pieces $0.40 $0.20 $0.20 $0.20Milk 1 cup $0.50 $0.25 $0.24 $0.25

LunchPotato 1 baked $0.30 $1.50 $1.00 $0.80

Pizza 1 slice $2.00 $3.00 $2.50 $3.30Orange Juice 1 cup $0.40 $0.63 $1.12 $0.71

SnackGrapes 2 cups $1.00 $3.20 $2.40 $2.80

DinnerSalad 1 1/2 cup $1.00 $0.85 $1.00 $0.64

Ranch Dressing 2 tbsp $0.10 $0.17 $0.17 $0.13White Rice 1 cup $0.20 $0.25 $0.85 $0.36

Beans 1/2 cup $0.50 $0.50 $0.42 $0.82Soy Milk 1 cup $0.40 $0.46 $0.75 $0.75

DesertIce Cream 1/2 cup $0.60 $0.46 $1.43 $1.43

Total $7.25 $11.47 $12.08 $12.19

Day 2 Amount Estimated Cost Whole Foods The Food Emporium

Morgans Market

BreakfastEnglish Muffie 1 muffin $1.00 $2.00 $1.38 $1.50

Milk 1 cup $0.50 $0.25 $0.24 $0.25Lunch

Macaroni and Cheese 1 cup $3.00 $3.39 $2.19 $3.00Biscuit 1 biscuit $0.75 $1.50 $1.00 $1.00

SnackStrawberries 2 cups $2.00 $2.75 $3.00 $3.00

Bread 2 slices $0.40 $0.20 $0.20 $0.20Dinner

White Rice 1 cup $0.25 $0.85 $0.36 $0.20Avocado 1 cup $2.00 $2.50 $2.50 $2.50

Lentils 1 cup $1.50 $1.40 $1.00 $1.75Total $11.40 $14.84 $11.87 $13.40

Day 3 Amount Estimated Cost Whole Foods The Food Emporium

Morgans Market

BreakfastBanana 1 unit $0.50 $0.33 $0.40 $0.40

Pancakes 2 cakes $1.00 $1.20 $0.86 $0.32Milk 1 cup $0.50 $0.25 $0.24 $0.25

LunchPizza 1 slice $2.00 $3.00 $2.50 $3.30

SnackGrapes $1.00 $3.20 $2.40 $2.80 $1.00

DinnerWhite Rice 1 cup $0.25 $0.85 $0.36 $0.20

Sweet Potato 1 cup $1.50 $2.00 $0.75 $0.50Kidney Beans 1/2 cup $0.50 $0.46 $0.43 $0.68

Soy Milk 1 cup $0.40 $0.46 $0.75 $0.75Desert

Ice Cream 1/2 cup $0.60 $.46 $1.43 $1.43Total $10.95 $11.40 $10.52 $8.83

As would be expected, the price of food for three days was most expensive at Whole

Foods, with the average total cost equaling $12.57 per day. The Food Emporium, a local

supermarket, came in second, with an average cost of $11.49. Finally, Morgans Market, a

convenience store, came in a close first place in terms of least expensive food, with an average

cost of $11.47 per day. Although food costs are cheaper at the local convenience store, Morgans

Market, than at Whole Foods or The Food Emporium, it is not the ideal place to buy food from.

The food at Morgans Market is very cheap because it is mass-produced with government

subsidies and very processed, and then transported from a far off place. By the time the food

items hit the shelves at the convenience store, it is no longer fresh, making it a less than ideal

source of food for healthy living. The healthiest way to eat and buy food is to eat locally.

In New York City, the most local way for people to get food would be to look within the

very Community District that they live in. Though this is the most local way to get food in NYC,

it is also the most unsustainable.

New York City Community District 15, which is located in Brooklyn, has an estimated

population of 159,650 people as of the last census in 2010. The ideal ratio of local grocery stores

to people is 30,000 SQ FT / 10,000 people. At the moment, community district 15 does not meet

these golden standards, and is even below the citywide average ratio of 15,000 SQ FT / 10,000

people.5 Most of the community districts in Brooklyn are below

the average ratio, and a majority of the community districts in all

of New York City are below the golden ratio of local groceries to

people. Though it is slowly on the way to meeting those

standards, with the recent openings of several grocery stores in

the neighborhood as a result of the FRESH initiative, which provides “discretionary tax

incentives” to grocery store operators in neighborhoods all throughout New York City,6

including in Community District 15, this lack of food markets in New York City to even provide

food in the first place shows how unsustainable a community-district based food system is.

If more grocery stores were to open up in this district, there would also need to be enough

food to support them. The best way to supply local stores would, of course, be with local foods.

This would make Community District 15 self-sustaining as well as help it meet the ideal

standards as set forth by the NYC government. Although there is not much food being grown in

the district at the moment, a way this goal can be accomplished is by converting vacant lots in

community gardens, as well as encouraging the growth of rooftop gardens on top of the many

flat-roofed buildings in the district. Though these methods will replace some of the processed

and transported food currently being sold within New York City, it is, in the end, still

5 Going to Market6 2013 New York City Food Metrics Report

unsustainable to adopt a community-district based food system because there is not enough

farmland in the city to feed all 12 million people living in it.

A larger local food would be all of the farmland in the state of New York. Farmland New

York State covers about 3.15 million hectares—areas of land covering 1,000 square meters, or

the size of half a football field. Each hectare of farm land in New York produces about 2.58

metric tons of food in a year, meaning approximately 8,127,000 metric tons of food can be

produced at most in a year. This pales in comparison to the 16 million metric tons of food that

the population of New York City needs to eat in a year.7

However, the above numbers, and thus, the calculations above, assume that every person

living in New York City consumes the recommended amount of food every year, although this

may not be true. They also assume that everyone is consuming vegetables and other healthy

foods for nutrition, although many of the calories and foods Americans consume today come

from high-density sources. A study by the USDA in 2003 showed that the majority of Americans

across all age groups and genders consumed more than the recommended daily intake of fat

every day.8 Since fat intake brings in much more calories than do more nutritious sources of

food, they take up much less space, potentially lowering the 1.25 metric tons of food the average

person needs to eat in a year by a large amount. A third and final factor that is not included in the

calculations is the potential use of community farms and rooftop gardens. Although the amount

of farmland and food they provide is not very significant, they can still provide food for some

New Yorkers that would otherwise be have to be transported in.

This transportation of food is necessary because there are far too many people in New

York City for the farmland only in the area of New York City to feed. Not all of the open 7 Why We Transport Food: Feeding the Big Apple8 Factors Affecting the Macronutrient Intake of U.S. Adults

farmland in New York is used, either, necessitating the transportation of food even more. Also,

even if there was some way New Yorkers could survive off of only food grown within the state,

they would probably get bored by the lack of variety in their diet. New Yorkers, and likewise,

urban food shoppers all over the country, have grown accustomed to having every kind of food

available to eat during every season of the year, though some foods may actually not be in season

at the time. Without importing food to NYC from far off regions like California, or Florida,

where in-demand fruits and vegetables may be in season, supermarkets, grocery stores, and the

like would miss out on potential profits.

It has been shown above that, even if New Yorkers

were to not care about getting foods “in season,” and

decided to limit their diet to foods grown within New York

State, there would not be enough food to feed them all. A

third, most ideal way to regionalize food would be to

localize food in New York City to that which is produced

and processed to the region within 200 miles of the city. Within this area, food can still be grown

and brought to market in a matter of hours, keeping the food fresh and locally grown.

The area within 200 miles of the New York Metro Region encompasses multiple

hardiness zones9—geographically classified areas which are used to determine what types of

plants can be cultivated in a particular area, as defined by their minimum average winter

temperatures.10 More specifically, the farmland within this area ranges from 4a to 7b, allowing

9 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map10 Hardiness Zone

for a good amount of food variety. The following charts show some of the foods can be grown in

the zones within a 200 mile radius of New York City during each of the four seasons:11

Zones 3-4 Winter Spring Summer FallAsparagus Beans Beets Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Eggplant Garlic Lettuce Okra Onions Potatoes Sweet Potatoes Pumpkin Radishes Spinach Tomatoes Watermelon

Zones 5-6 Winter Spring Summer FallAsparagus Beans Beets Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Eggplant Garlic Lettuce Okra Onions

11 What to Plant Now

Potatoes Sweet Potatoes Pumpkin Radishes Spinach Tomatoes Watermelon

Zones 7-8 Winter Spring Summer FallAsparagus Beans Beets Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Eggplant GarlicLettuce Okra Onions Potatoes Sweet Potatoes PumpkinRadishes Spinach Tomatoes Watermelon

As shown in my previous food plan, the foods I generally eat potatoes, bread, rice, milk,

lettuce, beans, various pastas, strawberries, avocadoes, sweet potatoes, and grapes. In the

regional area that I live in, much of the food I eat can be either grown or produced, with the

exception of avocadoes. Lettuce, beans, and potatoes can be found year-round, except for during

the winter; soy beans to produce soy milk can be grown during the fall and winter; strawberries

are grown mostly during the summer; grapes can be grown during the spring and summer; sweet

potatoes can be found only during the spring.

Although limiting my diet to a local region seems as if it would stifle the variety in my

diet, the variety of hardiness zones around the New York City area actually renders this

assumption false for most of the year. The only foreseeable issue in a regional diet would be the

lack of variety during the winter. As for me, I would be willing to stifle my diet during the winter

in exchange for eating local food because I would be eating more fresh food and supporting

small farmers rather than large corporations.

The above tables

show that there is much

variety in the foods that

can be grown throughout

the year, including, to a

lesser extent, autumn. To

make the food system for

NYC more locally based,

the first step would be to

shift the production of foods to areas within the region. The next step would be to design an

infrastructure to transport food from farms to markets. Luckily, thanks to the Interstate Highway

system, an infrastructure like this is already in place and in use today as a supplement to rail and

air food transportation.12 Also, even without the use of trucks, the transportation time from New

York City to any place within 200 miles of NYC is at most a 4 hour drive. This short distance

reaffirms that fresh, locally grown food is superior to supermarket food because local food can

be sold just hours after it is harvested. Locally grown food is also superior to nonlocal food

12 Regionalizing the Food System for Public Health and Sustainability

Figure 1 A map highlighting the food transportation networks in and around New York State

because it is much cheaper to buy.13 Nonlocal food is more expensive because of transport costs

being factored into its price—a fact that only serves to solidify the need to shift to a more

regionalized food system: it would give people more fresh food, as well as giving them more

inexpensive food.

The follow charts show the nutritional information and the prices of food during the

spring for three days in vegetarian diet limited to food produced and processed within 200 miles

of NYC:

Day 1 Amount Calories (Cal)

Proteins (g) Carbs (g) Fat (g) Price

BreakfastBread 2 pieces 192 2.6 12.3 3.5 $0.32

Milk 1 cup 150 8 12 8 $0.25Lunch

Potato 1 baked 255 1.9 5.6 0.1 $1.20Orange Juice 1 cup 112 1.7 25.8 0.5 $0.63

Scrambled Eggs 2 eggs 156 12 1.2 10 $0.75Snack

Grapes 2 cups 248 2.4 63.2 1.2 $3.00Dinner

Lettuce 1 1/2 cup 8 0.8 2 0 $0.70Nuts 1 cup 529 20 20 45 $1.18

Beans 1 cup 220 15.8 40 0 $3.00Soy Milk 1 cup 132 8 15.4 4.3 $0.08

Total 2002 73.2 197.5 72.6 $10.79

Day 2 Amount Calories Proteins Carbs Fat PriceBreakfast

Milk 1 cup 150 8 12 8 $0.25Hard Boiled Eggs 2 eggs 144 12.6 0.8 9.6 $0.75

LunchOranges 2 fruits 124 2.4 30 0.4 $1.08

Macaroni 1 cup 390 14 78 1.6 $1.60Cheddar Cheese 1/2 cup 227 14 0.7 18 $1.00

Snack

13 Is Local Food More Expensive?

Strawberries 2 cups 94 2 22 0.8 $2.00Dinner

Soy Beans 1 cup 376 33.2 28.3 17.4 $0.20Rice 1 cup 242 4.4 53.2 0.4 $0.20

Broccoli 2 cups 62 5.2 12 0.6 $0.24Total 1809 90.6 237 56.8 $7.32

Day 3 Amount Calories Proteins Carbs Fat PriceBreakfast

Bread 2 slices 154 8.2 25.6 1 $0.32Milk 1 cup 150 8 12 8 $0.25

LunchGrapes 2 cups 248 2.4 63.2 1.2 $3.00Potato 1 baked 255 1.9 5.6 0.1 $1.20Beans 1 cup 220 15.8 40 0 $3.00

SnackNuts 1 cup 529 20 20 45 $1.18

DinnerSpaghetti 1 cup 221 8 43 1.3 $1.20Soy Milk 1 cup 132 8 15.4 4.3 $0.08

Cucumbers 1/2 cup 8 0.3 1.9 0.1 $0.20Total 1917 72.6 226.7 61 $10.43

14

Taking a look at the charts shown above, the average cost per day of food when buying

within a local area of 200 miles around NYC is $9.51, which is significantly lower than the cost

of buying transported food, the lowest of which was $11.47. The primary reason for this lower

price when buying food locally is that there are little to no transportation costs involved in the

process of bringing the foods from farm to market this way.

Looking to New York City’s future, in between now and the year 2050, a local food

system should be adopted. Switching to a this local food system by limiting the production and

processing of food to the area within 200 miles of the New York Metro area will make New

York City a better place to live in overall by ensuring that the city become more self-sustaining

14 Organic Price Report

and that New Yorkers eat healthier, fresher foods while at the same time paying less for this

food.

On the way to this goal, there will many challenges, such increasing the amount of food

markets in New York City so that the locally grown food can be sold to a good amount of

people. The food markets problem is an issue already being addressed today, with the adoption

of initiatives such as the FRESH initiative, which encourages people to start up grocery stores in

the city. Another challenge will be to increase the self-sustainability of New York City itself.

There is not much progress on this issue yet, but some solutions to this goal would be to form

rooftop gardens on the many buildings in NYC. In addition to rooftop gardens, the conversion of

vacant lots to community gardens will also bolster the self-sustainability of NYC.

Once these two challenges are solved, and NYC begins to move towards a more

regionalized food source, the food system in NYC will be on its way to evolving into a healthier,

more efficient, and more self-sustaining one by the year 2050.

Works Cited:

1. Why We Transport Food: Feeding the Big Apple

2. Overview of the Global Food System http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK114491/

3. Factors Affecting the Macronutrient Intake of U.S. Adults

http://webarchives.cdlib.org/sw15d8pg7m/http://ers.usda.gov/publications/tb1901/

tb1901.pdf

4. Is Local Food More Expensive? http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/sites/default/files/pubs-

attachments/handout.pdf

5. Regionalizing the Food System for Public Health and Sustainability

http://www.urbandesignlab.columbia.edu/sitefiles/file/pres_NESAWG_text_122210.pdf

6. Hardiness Zone

http://www.urbandesignlab.columbia.edu/sitefiles/file/pres_NESAWG_text_122210.pdf

7. USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/

8. Athletes and Protein http://www.active.com/nutrition/articles/athletes-and-protein-the-

truth-about-supplements

9. Dietary Reference Intakes

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/DRI/DRI_Energy/energy_full_report.pdf

10. Organic Price Report

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/DRI/DRI_Energy/energy_full_report.pdf

11. How to Calculate Your Caloric Needs

http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/a/blcalintake.htm

12. Going to Market http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/pdf/going_to_market.pdf

13. 2013 New York City Food Metrics Report

14. What to Plant Now http://strongertogether.coop/fresh-from-the-source/growing-your-

own-food/what-to-plant-now/

Guiding the Evolution of the Food System in NYC

-Jasper Lu