Abstract
Interventions aimed at improving access to healthy food in low-income communities should consider the preferences of residents. Household food shoppers in two urban, low-income communities were asked about their preferences for vendors at, and qualities of, a potential nearby food hub. Universally, participants preferred availability of whole foods, primarily fruits and vegetables. They also favored cleanliness, quality, and affordability. The demographics and preferences of potential customers raise central issues that would need to be integrated into the development of a food hub, namely affordability (likely through subsidization), attention to accommodation and cultural accessibility, and programming that builds community.
Highlights
Low-income communities often have less physical access to affordable, healthy foods because of a lack of supermarkets and supercenters
We found little market research targeting residents of so-called food deserts, despite nearly 50% of food hubs actively operating in such places, 43% of food hubs accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, up to 37% of hubs organizing around a direct-to-consumer model, and 68% of food hubs having at least some direct-toconsumer sales (Barham et al, 2012; Colasanti et al, 2017; Feldstein & Barham, 2017)
The present analysis focuses on participants from both communities prior to developing the food hub with the goal that our findings will provide guidance to other communities implementing food hubs as a strategy to promote healthy food access
Summary
Low-income communities often have less physical access to affordable, healthy foods because of a lack of supermarkets and supercenters. Areas that lack healthy food options are disproportionately communities of color experiencing high rates of poverty; these communities are associated with relatively higher levels of poor mental and physical health outcomes, such as greater levels of stress, poorer diet quality, and greater food insecurity (Caspi, Sorensen, Subramanian, & Kawachi, 2012; Clifton, 2004; Ver Ploeg, 2012; Walker et al, 2010). Due to these disparities, the implementation of placebased strategies that address inequities in the food environment is a focus of many federal, state, and local policy initiatives. Food hubs have goals that, while not directly involving food, aim to positively transform the food system; these goals include fostering local decision-making power, keeping money within the community, providing a venue for entrepreneurship and new jobs, and serving as a vehicle for community-based economic development (Levkoe et al, 2018; Lerman, 2012; Matson & Thayer, 2013)
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