A FRESH APPROACH FOR FOOD TRUCKS
by Jeannie Howard
FFarmers Markets have long been a resource for fresh, high
quality foods at reasonable prices; however, even with
the abundance of farmers markets throughout the Bay
Area, some people do not have convenient access to those
high quality local foods let alone at reasonable prices.
Using a box truck turned mobile market, Fresh Approach
has been working to change this one community—one
route—at a time with their Mobile Farmer’s Market.
Fresh Approach East Palo Alto Community Farmers’ Market
Fresh Approach’s aim is to increase access to healthy
foods, especially to low income communities, according
to Laura deTar, Program Director. The Mobile Farmer’s
Market has proven to be a powerful tool to expand their
reach. “We target communities where folks don’t have
easy access to affordable high quality foods,” she said. “We
know that the food access points in those communities
are not what the community wants and so we are able to
fill this hole.”
Packed to capacity, the Mobile Farmer’s Market brings
fresh produce to communities along several routes
throughout Contra Costa, Alameda, and San Mateo
counties. In addition to making these foods more
physically accessible, Fresh Approach has also made the
prices more accessible to a larger group of community
members. Through their Matching Program, Fresh
Approach offers a fifty percent discount to individuals
that receive CalFresh, WIC, SSI, SSDI, or Medi-Cal
benefits. “So, if a customer spends ten dollars, they get
another ten dollars for free,” explained deTar. “With the
discount we have expanded and increased the number
of folks that are shopping our trucks and benefiting
from high quality, fresh produce.” Close to 65 percent
of customers utilize the Matching Program and Fresh
Approach hopes to continue to increase that percentage.
Serving more than twenty thousand people annually,
both directly through the individual shoppers and
indirectly from those that eat the foods purchased at the
trucks, The Mobile Farmer’s Market is so much more
than simply a food truck. “A big part of what we are
trying to do with the trucks is to encourage people to
engage in their local food system,” said deTar. Along with
promoting the locations where customers can find local
foods, Fresh Approach also offers Veggie Rx classes. “A lot
of folks are lacking access and also lacking the confidence
to work with fresh produce so, we offer free communitybased
nutrition classes that give folks a chance to come
together,” described deTar.
During the hour-long Veggie Rx classes, participants
learn about why fresh produce is important, taste different
foods, and learn how to create healthy meals for their
families. “We also provide fruit and vegetable vouchers for