Healthy Food on Wheels: An Exploration of Mobile Produce Markets Through a Food Justice Lens

Abstract

The built environment significantly influences the accessibility of healthy affordable foods. However, examination of built environments alone is insufficient to understanding why some neighborhoods in the United States are bountiful with fresh produce while others experience severe scarcity. This research investigates mobile produce markets (mobile markets) in order to understand how and to what extent they improve food availability and how they address structural inequities associated with poor food access environments. Race, class, and gender dimensions of food insecurity are reviewed, followed by an explanation of the emergence of mobile markets as a response to food insecurity. Eight geographically diverse U.S. mobile markets are studied using critical discourse analysis and interviews. A food justice framework is applied to the sample to understand the obstacles and opportunities to improving food availability and addressing structural inequities. Analysis reveals most mobile markets are not positioned to address root causes of inadequate access to healthy foods and it is unreasonable to build the case that mobile markets have transformational power as a food access intervention. Mobile markets are better situated to support and promote food availability goals on a short-term basis. This research contributes to understanding the efficacy of mobile markets and offers the recommendation of employing a food justice framework in the development of food access interventions to effectively address structural inequities associated with poor food access environments.