Healthy Food Access at Farmers’ Markets
Issue: Building a Healthy & Inclusive Society
Target Level of Office: Local
Policy Origin: City of Rancho Cucamonga, CA Strategic Plan, http://www.cityofrc.us/documents/
HealthyRCStrategicPlanDraft.pdf
Link: www.YEONetwork.org/2013policy/?i=234
Summary Narrative of the Policy: In line with the Healthy RC Strategic Plan, the city of Rancho
Cucamonga adopted new zoning laws to encourage farmers markets in high poverty, food
insecure neighborhoods in addition to a general $50 benefit for qualifying residents to use at
farmers markets to purchase fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables.
Relevant Talking Points & Important Information:
• With an interest in addressing barriers proactively and through collaboration with the
community, the City of Rancho Cucamonga launched an initiative called Healthy RC in
2008, a project funded by the Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities (HKHC) Project. This
initiative strives to further policies and programs that promote healthy minds, healthy
bodies, and a healthy environment. Using a comprehensive strategic plan, one of
Healthy RC’s goals is fix food insecurity and ensure healthy food access which the city
now implements through the “Bringing Health Home” program. Through private-public
partnerships, this city program helps to increase access to healthy foods by providing local
residents with $50 each month to match produce purchases at local farmers’ markets. For
every dollar spent on healthier food, participants get another dollar worth of produce
or up to $50 each month. To qualify, one must be a Rancho Cucamonga resident who is
pregnant or one who has a child between the ages of 0-5 years old.
• Food insecurity can impact health and have particular relevance to our nation’s growing
trends of racial health disparities. According to a study by the Harvard School of Public
Health, people living in low-income, as well as predominantly African American and
Hispanic neighborhoods, have less access to supermarkets than those who reside in
middle-income or predominantly white neighborhoods. In fact, fast food options are
disproportionately saturated in these low-come, Black, and Hispanic neighborhoods.
• Millions of Americans live in the middle of a food desert. The U.S. Department of
Agriculture defines a food deserts as a “urban neighborhoods and rural towns without
ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food” which “[i]nstead of supermarkets and
grocery stores […] have no food access or are served only by fast food restaurants and
convenience stores that offer few healthy, affordable food options.”
• The USDA estimates that 24.5 million Americans live in food deserts, and that more than
half of them – 13.5 million – are low-income.
Policy
2014 Book
Local Level
57