NYC Set To Cut All Processed Meat In Schools, Hospitals, And Care Centers

New York City (NYC) is set to remove all processed meats from schools, hospitals, and other public institutions from July 1, 2026, as part of plans to improve health.

The newly updated Food Standards apply to more than 219 million meals and snacks per year, served across 11 city agencies. In addition to schools and hospitals, affected agencies include Children’s Services, Parks and Recreation, and Homeless Services.

The NYC Health Department and the Mayor’s Office of Food Policy (MOFP) updated the city’s Food Standards at the end of August to lay out the planned changes.

In addition to cutting processed meat, the updated Food Standards increase the requirement for serving whole and “minimally processed” plant-based proteins. They also restrict certain artificial colors, additives, sweeteners, and preservatives, and strengthen “snack requirements” to improve variety and nutrition quality.

“Every New Yorker deserves access to delicious healthy food that they feel good about eating,” said acting Health Commissioner Dr Michelle Morse. “The new Standards underline our longstanding work to ensure New Yorkers have access to healthier foods while advancing our commitment to health equity and climate health. Through the new Standards, the NYC Health Department furthers its efforts to increase life expectancy by targeting chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease – advancing our HealthyNYC goals.”

NYC, plant-based foods, and processed meat

Photo shows someone working in a factory making hot dogs, a popular form of processed meat. NYC is set to cut processed meat from the menu at key public agencies. — Adobe Stock Processed meat is linked to a range of potential negative health outcomes

A series of studies have linked regular processed meat consumption to an elevated risk of dementia, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Even low-level consumption of processed meat is thought to be unsafe. However, as of 2019, Americans were still eating roughly the same amount of processed luncheon meat, hot dogs, ham, and bacon that they were in the late 1990s to early 2000s.

In contrast to the health risks represented by processed meat, plant-based foods have been linked to myriad potential health benefits. Meat alternatives, in particular, are generally better for both human and planetary health, and research shows that processed alternatives are not associated with negative health outcomes.

In 2022, NYC’s 11 hospitals made plant-based meals the default option for patients, affecting approximately three million meals per year. A report published in September last year found that patient acceptance and satisfaction with the plant-based options was more than 90 percent, making the scheme a “proven success.”