For Pamela Hess, executive director of Arcadia, it was jarring to learn that Black Americans are 10 times more likely to have diabetic-related amputations than other Americans. In 2020, the Food and Drug Administration reported that non-Hispanic Black people make up 11.7 % of the national diabetes cases. “What we found is fringe stores are killing people and there is usually tension between the owners and the people in the neighborhood,” Gallagher says. Fringe stores are killing people and there is usually tension between the owners and the people in the neighborhood Mari Gallagher

This oversight causes an imbalance of food available in Black and brown communities. Corner store owners are able to self-code as groceries or supermarkets, and Gallagher says the US Department of Agriculture doesn’t receive funding to ensure they are in compliance. In a research study published by the consulting group in August 2012 they found 88% of 520 food retailers in Washington DC are fringe or unhealthy fringe food retailers. She is the CEO of Mari Gallagher Researching and Consulting Group, the firm that popularized the phrase food desert in 2006.Īccording to the consulting group, fringe food retailers can also include liquor stores and primarily sell food that is fast, readymade, boxed, canned or processed, all of which is generally high in salt, fat and sugar, and has limited, if any, nutritional value. There are several corner stores in the immediate area, many of which accept federal food stamps, Snap/EBT (electronic benefit transfer), but these “fringe” stores need to be held accountable for what they are offering to the community, according to Mari Gallagher. There’s liquor lined up on the right-hand side and candy lined up on the left-hand side.”Īrcadia Mobile Market set up in the Fort Dupont neighborhood in Washington DC. “So, it’s a candy store for the kids and a liquor store for the adults,” Muhammad says. When the owner of the corner store in Muhammad’s neighborhood received a liquor license, it was turned it into a “full-blown liquor store”, she says, pointing across the railroad tracks. If I find something I like, I can it because I can’t go to the grocery store.” ‘Fringe’ food stores

I get a lot of carrots and I can those, so I have carrots throughout the wintertime. “I like cauliflower and I get all my vegetables and purple cabbage,” says Muhammad.

That’s why the mobile market is essential, says Muhammad – it’s convenient and fresh. Photograph: Hector Emanuel/The GuardianĪliza Wasserman, program manager at DC Greens, says 50% of its program members are senior citizens and that pandemic-related budget cuts meant its home deliveries went from about 500 to 200 participants. The nearest mainstream grocery store in Deanwood is a Safeway about 1.3 miles away, which makes it difficult to access for seniors without transportation.

One mobile market