March 10, 2026
This National Nutrition Month, we’re showing how policy can help kids, families, and communities get healthy, affordable, and culturally familiar food—and how you can help shape Rochester’s food future.
Speaking up in Albany for the Good Food NY bill
On Monday, February 9, 2026, members of the Rochester Food Policy Council went to Albany to speak up for the Good Food NY bill. Our team—Mike Bulger, Candice Williams, and Josie McClary—joined the NYS Good Food Purchasing Coalition for a press conference and met with State Representatives to share what we’ve heard from parents, educators, and partners in our communities.
Good Food NY, which moved forward in 2024 with sponsors currently working to pass it, would update New York’s buying rules so schools and other public institutions can choose “best value”—not just the cheapest price—when buying food. That means they could consider things like nutrition, local economies and New York farms, fair labor, care for the environment, racial equity, and animal welfare.
Public institutions serve millions of meals each year. Letting schools and local governments buy from New York farmers and producers who share these values would strengthen our local food system and help kids get fresh, healthy, and culturally familiar meals.
Helping to shape Rochester’s first community food system plan
At the same time, the City of Rochester has released a draft Community Food System Plan—the city’s first. The plan shows how food access is different across neighborhoods and shares ideas to improve food access, health, and community strength through policy, partnerships, and local action. The planning process included community‑based research, maps and data, and strong community engagement—including from Healthi Kids, the Rochester Food Policy Council, and many trusted partners.
But no plan is complete without public input. What we heard from parents and community members shaped this draft, and we encourage everyone to read the plan and send feedback. Public comment is open now through March 15 at 11:59 p.m. Read the plan and submit your comments!
Through these efforts and more, we’re working to make sure every neighborhood has reliable, affordable access to healthy food—through corner stores, markets, schools, gardens, and more. Nutrition is about more than what’s on a plate—it’s about fair rules, local opportunity, and community voice. Thank you for reading, sharing, and speaking up so that every child in Rochester can grow up with the food needed to thrive.