Dive Brief:
- Kanbe’s Markets and other upstarts aim to bring fresh produce to residents living in so-called “food deserts” by selling locally sourced tomatoes, lemons, asparagus and other healthy items in small kiosks placed inside gas stations, Civil Eats reports.
- Gas stations may seem like an unusual place to buy groceries, the article reports, but they're everywhere, making it an easy access point in areas where getting fresh food is difficult. One station owner told Civil Eats that the idea is so popular at his Kansas City gas station that all the food is gone by 5 p.m.
- Kanbe’s Markets serves six Kansas City spaces and has more than a dozen on a waiting list. The effort was started by Kansas City native Max Kaniger, a son of a local chef, who wanted to “bringing the smells, tastes, and joys of fresh, healthy foods to those who need it most.” He hopes to expand to four more stores by the end of the summer.
Dive Insight:
Kanbe's Markets use of gas stations may be an innovative model for other organizations who are part of a larger effort across the United States to address the growing issue of food deserts. A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found 39 million U.S. residents live in “low-access communities," meaning supermarkets are hard to get to because of distance and lack of transportation. Whether in urban or rural areas, many residents can't get to the grocery store and rely on fast food or processed foods easily bought in convenience stores. The high cost of available produce is also often a barrier.
Enter people like Max Kaniger, who want to expand to gas stations — ubiquitious is towns large or small — in areas classified by the USDA as food deserts. He not only moves into places that lack access to such foods, but by finding local sources, he is able to keep fruits and vegetables affordable. Tomatoes, for example, are 10 cents and an asparagus bunch is priced at 50 cents. Many of his customers rely on SNAP, formerly food stamps, and most of Kanbe’s current partners accept SNAP.
He places refrigerators and baskets in gas stations in locations at no cost to store owners and offers a variety of produce on consignment. With an aim to support local food sources, Kaniger buys from such places as BoysGrow, a local farm just outside the city. Some wholesalers he buys from will also donate food.
Similar efforts are sprouting in other areas of the country. The Trustees Mobile Farmers Market in Boston rolls into areas such as the city's Roxbury neighborhood once a week to bring a variety of fresh produce for residents to purchase. Mobile markets such as these typically accept SNAP payments. Peaches and Greens, which opened in the fall of 2008, uses a similar model in Detroit. It's a niche produce store serving inner-city customers through a stand-alone produce store and a distinctive produce mobile truck.