NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Mayor Eric Adams joined 1010 WINS on Friday, a day after meeting with President Joe Biden on gun violence, and as the city debuts “vegan Fridays” at public schools.
Despite what people may assume, Adams, who is a vegan and wrote a book about the diet, said kids are into the new plant-based meals set to return every Friday.
“What I’m surprised about as I look around the city is how many children have stated, ‘We’re tired of this food in school,’” the mayor told 1010 WINS’ Susan Richard. “Some parents are holding to this concept that the food we’re feeding children in school, those food products, are healthy—and they’re not. They’re feeding our health care crises.”
Adams said the city had food-tastings with kids to make sure schools got the meatless and dairy-free fare right. He said the move is about taking a “holistic” approach to improving the health of students and the environment. According to data cited by the city in 2019, nearly 40% of New York City public school children in grades K-8 were overweight or obese.
“People don’t know that the food we consume, and our overconsumption of bad food, is contributing to greenhouse gases,” he said. “We talk about improving our environment. We need to have a holistic approach. Bad food is bad for mother nature and for our mothers and children, as well.”
Friday's menu included “vegan veggie tacos,” with a tortilla and salsa, with broccoli, and a carrot and lemon salad on the side. Other planned offerings this month include a Mediterranean chickpea dish with rice or pasta, and a black bean and plantain rice bowl.
Fresh off his meeting Thursday at NYPD headquarters with Biden, Adams said it’s good to have the president’s help but that even with federal dollars the city needs to address the “many rivers” feeding gun violence, especially without federal laws for background checks or trafficking.
“We must ensure the safety of this city in spite of what others are doing outside our span of control,” the mayor said.
Part of the plan is the mayor’s new anti-gun unit. He stressed that the teams will be highly selective and trained, and that they’ll wear identifying gear to avoid the mistakes of the controversial anti-crime unit of the past.
“I would love to just really have New Yorkers know this is not the anti-crime plainclothes unit, this is going to be an anti-gun unit,” he said.
The mayor said it’s also important to tweak the state's bail reform law to consider public safety.
After a Queens judge remanded two teens charged with the attempted murder of a rookie cop, Adams said he hopes “this is a signal that judges are sending.”
“It’s unimaginable that here in this city and this state that judges cannot take into factor dangerousness,” the mayor said, noting it’s something that’s done in the 49 other states.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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