Low-Income Areas Get Access To Fresh Produce Thanks To Grocery Store On Wheels

St. Louis MetroMarket

It’s not uncommon for certain low-income areas to have limited access to grocery stores, and one bus in St. Louis wants to change that.

The St. Louis MetroMarket is a full-service grocery store on wheels that’s hoping to “bridge physical, financial, and educational barriers in food deserts.”

The bus, aptly named Turnip1, was transformed from a donated city bus into a fully stocked farmer’s market that offers fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy and bread from local farmers and community gardens.

The non-profit grocery shop serves low-income neighborhoods to increase their access to this type of fresh and healthy food. In addition to food, the market provides nutritional info to customers as well as demonstrations on how shoppers can use the food in their cooking.

To shop on the Turnip1, you need a membership, which costs $150. However, this fee can be subsidized by your employer or if you live in a food desert community that doesn’t have access to to fresh, healthy and affordable food. Regular memberships buy the food at retail prices to offset the cost for the low-income community.

Food, News

About the Author
Carina Wolff
Carina is a health and wellness journalist based in Los Angeles. When she’s not writing, doing yoga, or exploring mountains and beaches, she spends her time cooking and creating recipes for her healthy food blog, Kale Me Maybe. Carina is also an ongoing writer for Bustle, Reader's Digest, FabFitFun, and more.

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