A food truck, called Urban Greens Market, opened in Salt Lake City last week that provides fresh produce to residents who live in urban food deserts. Parts of Glendale and Poplar Grove in Salt Lake City are considered a food desert.
“The USDA defines a food desert as an area where the residents live more than a mile away from a grocery store,” said Bridget Stuchly, the program manager for the Department of Sustainability in Salt Lake City.
She said Salt Lake City has partnered with Green Urban Lunch Box and Utahns Against Hunger to improve accessibility and affordability to fresh produce for low-income families.
The program operates out of a refurbished bus and it provides fruits and veggies from around the city to residents who lack healthy food options. Stuchly said it’s a one-of-a-kind program in Utah.
“And the idea behind the mobile market is to make sure that all of the residents in that area are within less than a half a mile from these market locations,” she said.
The two main barriers that typically prevent people from getting fresh produce include distance and cost.
“By making fresh local produce available, we’re addressing both of those barriers,” she said.
The Urban Greens Market accepts SNAP/EBT and Double Up Food Bucks. It was subsidized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture with $54,421 through the Farmers Market Promotion Program.
“If you don’t have a grocery store [nearby] allowing you to access fresh local produce, then it’s going to impact the way you cook, the way you are able to get healthy food to your family,” she said.
The market will be available in seven different neighborhoods of Salt Lake City through November.