NEW YORK STATE — The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets announced the launch of the newly revamped Nourish New York portal; the goal is to better connect New York’s food organizations to New York farmers.

This comes as the program, which was launched as an emergency relief program during the pandemic, has been codified in New York State law for nearly five years. The new portal offers an improved user interface, including the ability to create a business profile, enhanced search tools, and expanded product descriptions, making it even easier for farmers and food organizations to list and search for New York products.

The Nourish New York initiative provides funding directly to the state’s emergency food providers to help them directly buy products from the state’s farmers and producers and distribute them to New York consumers who need them most.

Since the program’s launch in May 2020, nearly $340 million has been committed to Nourish New York. Through this multi-agency effort, New York’s food banks have purchased over 174 million pounds of New York food products, which equate to over 145 million meals distributed to families in need.