María Peralta lives in Harlem and thanks to the NYC FRESH program that the city has implemented since 2009, she does not have to travel far from home to buy fresh vegetables, fruits and prepare nutritious meals.
“How to make a smoothie…, I make it with carrot broccoli, beetroot and also in cooking I prepare broccoli, I make salad. I like vegetables more than other things like cans, I don’t eat that”, says Peralta.
Like her, according to city planning commissioner Dan Garodnick, more than 1.2 million New Yorkers living in low-income community areas in the 5 boroughs have benefited from fresh produce.
“No more junk food, no more junk food, we have a program that is working, that is bringing new supermarkets to New Yorkers who need them, and it is very important for the health of our communities,” says Garodnick.
This supermarket is located at 104th Street and Lexington Avenue in Harlem. “Here the fruit and vegetable section takes special care, so that the products are always fresh,” says Faustino Vélez, a supermarket worker.
“The truth is that we have a water system that is irrigating it permanently and that all the vegetables are kept fresh, and it is cleaned daily to keep it fresh.” Add.
There is a zoning map that the city has prepared with the 30 already existing supermarkets. On Wednesday, Commissioner Garodnick announced that they are in the process of identifying an additional 21 zones that will benefit an additional 300,000 people.
Building builders who are chosen will receive incentives from the city.
“You have tax incentives, zoning incentives, to build, there are opportunities to build new buildings a little bigger,” Garodnick says.
To take advantage of the city’s incentives, property owners must commit to building a supermarket with ample space for fresh produce.
Eudi De Jesús, manager of Ideal Food Basket sees this initiative as very positive:
“You don’t have to travel far distances to look for a product that may be just around the corner from your house, since the city has promoted this new benefit.”
