By Luz-Myriam Neira, PhD

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

The 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 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-

ing to the East Side, five more sites will be added so the Mercado will then be operating in nine of the 11 high-risk zip codes. The Mobile Mercado also has the potential to expand the Prescriptions for Produce sponsorships, increasing the popularity of health and wellness enterprises generating profits. Lastly, the strong culture of giving in San Antonio and South Texas could contribute to the program’s sustainability. Threats such as the uncertainty around food costs and clients’ financial capacity to purchase food given the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be ignored, and are addressed through Prescription for Produce sponsorships.

The Mobile Mercado business model for the new year (2022) will consist of: adding five more sites specifically benefiting minorities (Black and Hispanic) residing in East Side high-risk areas for a total of 22 sites; reviving the Mercado’s heart-healthy/diabetic-friendly meals sales and adding a new enterprise approach to the mini-grocery store; selling medically-tailored food packages; being a unique San Antonio food retailer in this category; and increasing convenience for clients wanting to prepare their meals at home.

This social enterprise business of the Food Bank offers at least 80% of food items that follow the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommendations to decrease saturated fat, sodium and added sugars, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. Being able to provide these items will help low-income minorities follow and maintain healthy lifestyles and contribute to the local sustainability food system. For the last four years, the experience of running this retail food enterprise and the Prescription for Produce sponsorships provided by the health care system has demonstrated to the SAFB that this partnership is essential. The Mobile Mercado catalyzes the vital role of food and nutrition in improving health and wellness for patients affected with diet-related health risks or conditions, food insecurity or other documented challenges to accessing nutritious foods.

Luz-Myriam Neira, PhD is the Director of Nutrition, Health and Wellness for the San Antonio Food Bank.