New York City's pioneering heart health programs
Submitted by Jeff on March 4, 2010 - 10:58am
It turns out New York is on the cutting edge of more than just salt reduction. The New York City Public Health Dept. posted this video on youtube that has had almost 600,000 views. Be careful, though, it's pretty gross.
New York has also introduced the green cart program to promote fruit and vegetable consumption in the city's low income neighbourhoods. Starting last year, New York licenced 1,000 vendors to operate old-style fruit and veggie carts in specific areas. The idea is to increase access to healthy food that study after study has shown is least available in the poorest neighbourhods. Many of these same neighbourhoods are also sites of the fastest rising obesity rates in the city. Although many of the vendors are very busy (one was open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week), the New York Times points out that not everyone is happy about the new program:
“It may be good for health, but it’s bad for business,” said George Katehis, manager of the Splendid Deli Restaurant at 387 East Fordham Road. “A guy might buy a piece of fruit there instead of coming in here for a soda.”
