Food Podcast: A look at the food bank’s mobile farmers market

June is fruits and veggies month, so this week’s podcast focuses on the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s innovative way to get fresh produce from local farms to areas where healthy food is difficult to find.

It’s called the Green Grocer, and while it looks like a food truck, you won’t find burgers or tacos when you visit. Instead, you’ll find shelves of kale, peaches, plums and other produce up for sale.

“We’re able to offer a lot of fresh options in a mobile farmers market format, so we go out into areas that don’t have a grocery store or a farmers market or any access to fruits and veggies that mostly just have dollar stores, deli stores, corner stores. We bring 30-50 different fruits and veggies in the summer and we do a farmers market,” said Mobile Markets Coordinator Josh Anderegg.

The Green Grocer stops at 20 locations in Allegheny County where it’s hard to find produce. Many of the areas like the Hill District are highly populated but lack access to a grocery store.

“We’re talking about places that are in the city of Pittsburgh where the majority of people don’t have access, whether it’s lack of transportation or something else; it’s not like you have to go really far to find a place that doesn’t have a grocery store,” Anderegg said.

In the past, the Food Bank described these areas as “food deserts”, but Anderegg says the team no longer uses the term.

“Food deserts was a great way to start thinking about things, but when you really look at the term, what’s a desert? It’s lifeless. It’s barren. It gives you an impression where nothing lives or thrives,” Anderegg said. “In our communities that we serve, people live their whole lives. They work there. They raise their kids there. They get married there. They start businesses. They’re vibrant places filled with people who are thriving. The fact that there isn’t fresh produce available doesn’t mean that we should describe them as any less lively and full of love as any other neighborhood.”

The Green Grocer is open to anyone who wants fresh produce. If you come on the truck, you’ll find organic produce from the Food Bank Farm and many other local farms in Pennsylvania. Anderegg says the move is intentional, so customers can shop local and have more options to pay for their groceries.

“(We take) SNAP/EBT, cash, debit, credit and Farmers market nutritional program (FMNP). For every six dollars people spend, they get a $5 coupon back right now. That coupon is funding by a grant we have right now through Citizen’s Bank. That can go toward anything on the truck,” Anderegg said.

There are so many programs for free produce, Anderegg says, the Green Grocer is able to cut grocery bills in half through coupons and tokens. To find a Green Grocer Farmers Market near you, check out our schedule here.

Listen here: The Food Podcast discusses the Green Grocer mobile farmers market