Back in 2015, while I sat on the Suffolk County Food Policy Council, there was an initiative called, “Healthy Corner Stores Project” to bring fresh produce to small corner stores in communities that didn’t have access to a supermarket. We started with one pilot bodega, and now there are 8! “The focus is on communities with limited access to healthy food where many residents are on the federal supplemental nutrition assistance program, also known as food stamps,” said Zahrine Bajwa, regional project director for Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, which coordinates the initiative on Long Island. Most of the funding is federal. Check out this article in Newsday!

Mobile apps have changed the way Americans live, and it is no different when it comes to dinner.

Many people are opting for staying at home and eating in the comfort of their own homes, without the hassle of going out or shopping for dinner. All you have to do is order from your phone and dinner will be delivered to your door from a local restaurant, or so you thought. Many of the “so called restaurants” aren’t actually restaurants, they are just kitchens producing food for the delivery service. In this NY Times article, of Mr. Lopez’s four operations, three are “virtual restaurants” with no physical storefronts, tables or chairs. They only exist within the mobile apps, such as Uber Eats, DoorDash or Grubhub.