656: Kate MacKenzie, part 1: Executive Director of New York City's Mayor’s Office of Food Policy

Food touches nearly all environmental issues, as well as health, social, economic, political, and cultural. Cities like New York and their governance do too. Regular listeners know I talk about food waste, doof, packaging, and related issues. I celebrate her boss, Eric Adams's dramatic change in his diet, which tells me his motivations to bring healthier food to New York are authentic and genuine.

As the top food official in New York City's government, Kate is in the middle of it all. After covering her background, we talk about what New York is doing about food and doof, some initiatives guarded, some bold and visionary. As a New Yorker since the 1980s, you'll hear I want to offer my service. I want to help make doof go the way of cigarettes in the workplace---that is, no longer allowed. After New York banned them, the policy change received overwhelming support.

While she speaks somewhat officially at the start, the conversation grew more personal as we spoke, in part, maybe because I shared with her an amazingly delicious local apple. Who knows, maybe I'll work with the city and get to help stop tragedies like this disgusting litter and this alarming litter, largely doof waste, from happening. New York is one of the most exciting and beautiful cities in the world when not covered with doof and its waste.

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