HEALTHY LIVING
Mobile Mercado, a Food Retail Enterprise of the San Antonio Food Bank to Address Diet-Related Conditions and Food Insecurity By Luz-Myriam Neira, PhD
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he San Antonio Food Bank (SAFB) was established in 1980 and serves one of the largest areas in Southwest Texas, offering programs and services in 29 counties focusing on client food security. The SAFB has run a food retail enterprise since 2016 utilizing the Mobile Mercado (MM) to increase access to seasonal produce and other healthy foods for low-income/food desert area residents in Bexar County. The MM is a 35-foot specialized truck consisting of a mini-grocery store which carries seasonal fresh produce as well as other healthy food items and a demonstration kitchen that has been utilized to prepare/sell heart-healthy/diabetic-friendly meals at convenient prices. Since 2017, the Mobile Mercado has been a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) retailer, facilitating the access of fresh produce by SNAP participants. As of July 2021, the Mercado began offering the Double-Up Food program which further incentivizes SNAP participants to double the amount of produce they access with their SNAP card. For every one dollar spent, participants receive an 20
SAN ANTONIO MEDICINE • January 2022
additional dollar incentive to spend on produce, up to $30 dollars. The Double-Up Food program helps SNAP participants increase their food security while supporting local farmers. The Mobile Mercado began operating the Prescription for Produce program in 2018, gaining recognition from health care organizations. Currently, the Food Bank partners with eight health care organizations sponsoring patient prescriptions, each of whom obtain up to 15 pounds of fresh produce per prescription. Presently, the Mobile Mercado serves 17 sites each month (12 clinics/5 community sites). MM strengths include being a custom truck that is well equipped, visually appealing, recognizable and a popular stop to purchase hot, healthy meals. The Mobile Mercado is expertly run, and is comprised of 100% minority and 75% female staff. Opportunities for the upcoming future of the Mobile Mercado include adding additional lowincome sites in East Side San Antonio, where there is a significant representation of African Americans. The Mobile Mercado operates in four of the 11 high-risk zip codes of San Antonio, and by expand-
