Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mobile Produce Market Operations: Adaptations, Barriers, and Future Directions for Increasing Food Access.

Background: Mobile produce markets were increasingly recognized as an effective and accepted approach to improving access to fruits and vegetables in lower-income and at-risk communities during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. This study provides insights into how mobile market operations were impacted by, and evolved in response to, challenges posed by the pandemic.

Methods: A survey evaluating impacts of the pandemic on mobile markets was distributed to a database of mobile market operators in the United States.

Operational challenges that may affect implementation of evidence-based mobile market interventions.

Introduction: Mobile produce markets are becoming an increasingly prevalent, accepted, and effective strategy for improving fruit and vegetable (F&V) access and consumption across underserved and lower-income communities. However, there is limited published research on mobile market operations. The goal of this research is to identify the challenges mobile markets face and ways to potentially mitigate those challenges.