The inaugural Mobile Market Summit in March 2019 provided the context to gather information from attendees representing mobile markets and or organizations focused on food access and equity. The report will serve those currently operating or considering starting a mobile market, as well as researchers and community members interested in the logistics of food access programs.

National reach, local focus

The 2019 Mobile Market Summit drew participants from 23 states across the United States and 1 Canadian province, with the highest concentration hailing from the host state: New York.

Serving those in need

The vast majority of participants in the 2019 Mobile Market Summit report their markets target lower-income customers. The majority of participants are serving urban areas, with about a quarter serving a mix of urban, rural, and/or suburban areas.

Locally sourced for quality, cost, and sustainability

Participants in the 2019 summit are most likely to source their products (predominantly fruits and vegetables, download the full report for breakdown of all products) from farmers and producers located within their county or 100 miles of where they serve. Producers and farmers within their state are the second most common, with some operators growing a proportion of their products themselves.

Offline marketing is most effective

Mobile market operators who attended the 2019 summit report most often report word-of-mouth as their most effective marketing strategy; social media and real-world interventions like flyers also provide results (download the full report for all results on marketing strategies).

Download the full 2019 Mobile Market Summit Survey Report here

The 2019 Mobile Market Summit was organized by the Veggie Van Study team in partnership with several other mobile markets:
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St. Louis MetroMarket (St. Louis, MO)
​Hub City Farmers' Market (Spartanburg, SC)
Farm Express (Phoenix, AZ)
Fresh Truck (Boston, MA) 
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Thank you to our partners for making the inaugural Mobile Market Summit a great success! See you in 2020!