The bite heard around the world

The wind was howling and swirling, the weather chilly and fall was finally making its presence felt this season, but nothing was louder than the crunching of fresh apples, at Borough Hall on Thursday, October 24 as the city of New York joined together for the second annual Big Apple Crunch, a Food Day event at which New Yorkers attempted to beat last year’s record of having the most participants in an apple-crunching event.

Borough President Marty Markowitz teamed up with GrowNYC Executive Director Marcel Van Ooyen; Kim Kessler, the City’s Food Policy Coordinator; Jim Allen, the head of New York State Apple Growers Association at Borough Hall; and DJ Hip Hop’s crew, to lead the crunching event at GrowNYC’s Brooklyn Borough Hall Greenmarket.

Plenty of apple crunches took place throughout the day as members of more than 250 organizations and groups participated, including schools, afterschool programs, senior centers, farmers markets, food stores and workplaces.

Our administration has partnered closely with stores, schools and community organizations to make the healthy choice the easy choice, said Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs. New York City is home to fresh, nutritious and affordable food including accessible fruit and vegetables — today’s event is an excellent reminder to enjoy a crisp New York apple on a beautiful fall day.

As part of Food Day, the Big Apple Crunch is a way to get New Yorkers thinking about healthy eating. The official fruit of New York State, apples are a nutritious, seasonal food that grows plentifully in our region.

Food Day is an opportunity to honor our farmers and our food. We are lucky here in New York City to have access to some of the freshest, healthiest, tastiest food in the world, which you can find at our 54 Greenmarkets around the city. The Big Apple Crunch is a simple gesture with a significant impact, said Van Ooyen, We’re grateful to the Department of Education, Kim Kessler, the City’s Food Policy Coordinator, for making the Big Apple Crunch a big success!