Resolution calling upon the New York City Department of Education to ban processed meats from being served in New York City public schools.

By Council Members Cabrera, Rosenthal, Brannan, Vallone, Rivera, King, Menchaca, Maisel, Levine, Chin, Levin, Perkins, Deutsch, Cumbo, Reynoso, Cornegy, Torres, Ampry-Samuel, Koslowitz, Lander, Cohen, Louis, Barron and Rose (by request of the Brooklyn Borough President)

Whereas, The Office of School Food (SchoolFood) of the New York City Department of Education (DOE), is responsible for serving school meals within the New York City public school system, serving around 850,000 meals to students daily; and

Whereas, According to SchoolFood’s menus, New York City public schools administer numerous food menus containing processed meats, including hot dogs, ham, bacon and sausage; and

Whereas, According to Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, processed meat, like hot dogs, ham, bacon and sausage, is meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavor or improve preservation; and

Whereas, According to Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, meat processing methods like curing, smoking or cooking can lead to the formation of potentially cancer-causing (carcinogenic) chemicals such as N-nitroso compounds (NOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAs), heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), all of which can adversely affect one’s health; and

Whereas, In 2015, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced that consumption of processed meat is “carcinogenic to humans,” which can lead to increased risk of colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke and type II diabetes, among other diseases; and

Whereas, In the IARC’s 2015 report, experts concluded that each 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increased the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%; and

Whereas, According to a 2017 report by the American Institute for Cancer Research, an estimated 47% of United States colorectal cancer could be prevented each year through healthy lifestyles changes, such as eating more fiber and exercising properly; and

Whereas, According to a 2017 article in the Agricultural Research and Technology Open Access Journal, livestock production, which is responsible for adding to the supply of processed meats, is an important cause of various environmental problems such as increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, agricultural land expansion and associated deforestation, surface water eutrophication, terrestrial biodiversity loss, and nutrient imbalances; and

Whereas, In 2017, New York City public schools launched “Meatless Mondays,” a program that eliminates meat being served on Mondays within specific public schools, as well as added vegan lunch options in 1,200 New York City public schools, however a full ban on processed meats being served in public schools is necessary to ensure New York City public schools offer healthy food choices, while also helping the environment; and

Whereas, Banning processed meats from being served throughout all New York City public schools can help ensure that students stay healthy; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York City Department of Education to ban processed meats from being served within New York City public schools

LS #4842

1/16/2018