THE VEGGIE VAN TRAINING CENTER
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Background & Formative Work

The Veggie Van program was developed as a partnership between the nonprofit organization, Community Nutrition Partnership (CNP), and researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). CNP was formed in 2008 at the peak of the recession to help people suffering from economic instability maintain healthy diets. 

CNP initially offered Cooking Matters classes to lower-income communities; Cooking Matters is a hands-on cooking and nutrition education program that was developed by Share Our Strength, a national anti-hunger nonprofit, to help families stretch their food dollars by preparing healthy, economical meals at home. Families who attended Cooking Matters classes received free food to cook the healthy recipes they tried in class at home.
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​​After the six weeks were over, CNP wanted a way to continue bringing healthy food to these families using a more sustainable "market-based" approach. To determine what that approach should be, our research team conducted qualitative research to explore some of the programming ideas proposed by CNP and understand the best ways to improve access to healthy food in lower income communities. 

We conducted 13 focus groups with 105 low-income individuals across five North Carolina counties. We asked participants about various fruit and vegetable (F&V) access strategies, including mobile markets (like Veggie Van), farmers markets, and community gardens
--and how they thought these programs could reduce barriers to F&V consumption. 
​

"... a mobile market program delivering fresh F&V to conveniently located community sites was deemed the most highly acceptable to the community members​."
​
​CNP was also interested in the possibility of a non-profit restaurant to sell healthy prepared food at fast food prices. We found that a mobile market program delivering fresh F&V to conveniently located community sites was deemed the most highly acceptable to community members. All participants agreed mobile market produce needed to be high quality and fresh, which was not the case for other programs attempting to bring F&V access to their communities. Additionally, good customer service, trust of vendors, good relationships with MM staff, and having tips for storing and cooking produce would increase the likelihood of people shopping at MMs.
​
Low-income individuals’ perceptions about fruit and vegetable access programs: A qualitative study
File Size: 210 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

In addition to discussing preferred food access programs, we asked participants about individual and community level barriers to eating fresh F&V. Participants reported not having enough money to purchase F&V, not having transportation to get to stores with high quality produce, or having family members who did not like certain vegetables.

They said lower-income communities were less likely to have large supermarkets, and smaller stores did not have affordable prices and/or did not sell high-quality produce. Participants also lamented changes to the food environment: more fast food, fewer produce vendors or individual farmers selling fresh produce, and changes to the food culture
--young people don't cook anymore and are not exposed to different varieties of fresh produce or gardening. 
​
A Qualitative Study of Perceived Barriers to Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Low-Income Populations, North Carolina, 2011
File Size: 245 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Next: Veggie Van Pilot Phase
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  • Home
  • Toolkit
    • Sign Up for Toolkit Access
    • Veggie Van Model >
      • Veggie Van Food Access Intervention
      • Veggie Van Educational Intervention
      • Theory and Conceptual Model
    • Program History >
      • Background & Formative Work
      • Pilot Phase
      • Program Expansion Phase
      • Lessons Learned
      • Research Study Phase
    • Running a Mobile Market >
      • Assess Interest
      • Create Partnerships
      • Develop Market Model >
        • Food Sourcing
        • Customers and Pricing
        • Vehicles and Equipment Resources >
          • Choose a Vehicle
          • Retrofit a Vehicle
          • Supplies and Equipment
      • Working with Host Sites >
        • Site Recruitment
        • Community Engagement >
          • Customer Newsletter
        • Social Media Marketing >
          • Connect with your target audience
          • Make a plan and assess results
          • Available Resources for Social Media
      • Launch the Program >
        • Operations and Logistics >
          • Staffing
          • Food Procurement
          • Mobile Market Set-up
        • Educational Materials >
          • Produce Information
          • Nutrition Curriculum >
            • Snacks
            • Healthy Fats, Healthy Heart
            • Making Meals Go Further
            • Eating Local & In Season
            • Choose MyPlate
            • Fruits & Veggies Matter​
            • Choosing Healthy Proteins
            • Food Labels
            • Whole Grains
            • What's for Breakfast?
            • Cut Out The Sugar​
            • Healthy Substitutions
            • Activity Bank
          • Recipes
      • Research Partner Resources >
        • Communication with Research Sites
        • 2020 Partner Training
        • Newsletter Resources
        • Partner Materials
    • COVID-19 Resouces
    • Webinar Series
  • Research
    • Publications & Reports
    • Previous Research >
      • Program Outcomes
    • Current Research >
      • The Veggie Van Study
      • Veggie Van Partners
  • MM Summit
    • 2023 Summit
    • 2022 Summit
    • 2021 Summit >
      • 2021 Summit Presentations
    • 2020 Summit >
      • 2020 Summit Overview
      • 2020 Summit Agenda
      • 2020 Summit Presentations
      • 2020 Summit Organizers
    • 2019 Summit >
      • 2019 Mobile Market Summit
      • 2019 Summit Survey
  • Latest News
    • Opportunities
    • Newsletter
  • Contact
    • About Us >
      • Press