Portable farmer's market: Mobile vending to promote healthy food access in vulnerable communties

In 2007, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded the National Policy and Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity (NPLAN) to provide advocates nationwide with model policies that promote healthy eating and active living for children. One primary focus area for NPLAN is addressing racial and ethnic disparities in childhood obesity rates.

Obesity and its health related complications are occurring at higher rates in Latino, African American, and Native American children. Studies also indicate that children of color are more likely to live in neighborhoods with limited access to fresh produce. In areas that are unlikely to attract a large supermarket, mobile vending is one viable alternative that can increase access to healthy food in underserved communities. While many cities have traditionally viewed mobile vendors as a menace, or have merely regulated vendors to ensure food safety, few have considered mobile vending policy aimed at improving nutrition.

In this session, the presenter will draw on real-world examples to discuss specific policy and legal tools that advocates can employ to implement healthy mobile vending in their communities. First, the presenter will provide some background on mobile food vending policies nationally. Second, the presenter will discuss how a few cities, such as New York, Oakland, and Kansas City, have implemented mobile vending policies that promote good nutrition. And third, the presenter will examine policy strategies to provide incentives for healthy mobile vending in neighborhoods that need it most.