MAP: Fresh, Local Produce In Short Supply In Queens

QUEENS, NY - Queens residents have limited access to fresh local produce, especially in the eastern region of the borough, a new map shows.

Five Queens districts have just one source of fresh and local produce, according to a map by the Office of Acting Public Advocate and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. Those districts include parts of Bayside, Douglaston, Auburndale, Queens Village, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Corona, College Point, Whitestone, Jamaica, Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park.

"This map was designed to help people find fresh food but also to highlight where we need to do more to make healthy food available to all New Yorkers," Johnson said. "As you can see there’s a long way to go in certain parts of the city, including Queens, to achieve that goal. And if residents find they don’t have a local food project in their community, the map website also includes resource information on how they can get one started for themselves!”

A South Jamaica farmers' market at 114-02 Guy R Brewer Blvd. is the lone source of fresh and local produce for much of southeastern Queens, according to the map. Bayside and Douglaston also have just one: Alley Pond Environmental Center on Northern Blvd., where locals can pick up fresh veggies from Long Island's Golden Earthworm Farm.

Councilmember Barry Grodenchik, who represents parts of eastern Queens, said the lack of commercial space in his district is one obstacle to adding more places to buy local foods. Grodenchik floated the possibility of expanding fresh food offerings at the Queens County Farm Museum in Little Neck, which sells produce and eggs but isn't on the map.

"This is an ongoing struggle for us to get fresh fruits and vegetables in the city, and I'm really glad my Speaker has created this map," he said in an interview.

Johnson's "Farm-to-City Food Map" lists 307 locations throughout the five boroughs for fresh, healthy and affordable food.

The map is organized by City Council district and shows farmers' markets, fresh food pantries and locations for Food Box programs and Community Supported Agriculture; it does not include supermarkets. The map specifies which locations accept SNAP benefits, or food stamps.

Food Box is a program offering fresh food boxes from regional farms; customers sign up a week in advance to buy a box. At Community Supported Agriculture locations, consumers subscribe to receive produce from a specific farm.

“Access to fresh, healthy food should be a human right for everyone living in New York City,” Johnson said in a statement. “Many New Yorkers don’t know where to find fresh food options even if they are nearby."

The new tool describes payment programs like SNAP benefits that make fresh produce more affordable. Those resources include the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program; Health Bucks, coupons to buy fresh fruits and vegetables; and the Pharmacy to Farm Prescriptions program for SNAP participants with high blood pressure.