PRESS RELEASE

City of Long Beach 
Public Information Office
411 W. Ocean Blvd, 
Long Beach, CA 90802
www.longbeach.gov

1/10/2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPress Release # 011024
Subject:
City Seeks Partner to Operate a Mobile Healthy Food Market in Long Beach
Contact:
Jennifer Rice Epstein
562.441.3590
Jennifer.RiceEpstein@longbeach.gov
Public Affairs Officer
Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services




Long Beach, CA – The City of Long Beach is seeking a partner to implement and operate a Mobile Healthy Food Market in Long Beach. The goal of the Mobile Healthy Food Market is to increase access to affordable fresh produce in neighborhoods defined as having poor food access as well as increase opportunities for residents to be connected to other services and resources that address the social determinants of health and improve health outcomes. This re-release of a previous RFP now requires that the selected vendor will be required to procure and/or retrofit an existing vehicle to turn it into a Mobile Healthy Food Market. This will allow for more flexibility and a faster startup.

The demand for food assistance among low-income households in Long Beach has risen due to inflation, loss of wages or unemployment, and business closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, many Long Beach residents may struggle to gain access to affordable produce, exacerbating nutrition insecurity and placing the City’s communities at greater risk for negative health outcomes associated with poor diets.

A mobile market that can travel to and set up in areas where people do not have easy access to a supermarket and that sells fresh fruits and vegetables at, or below, the cost of large retail food stores can increase access to health, affordable and culturally relevant foods for low-income seniors, families and individual households. 

The City has launched a Request for Proposals (RFP). Qualified organizations are encouraged to submit proposals through the City’s vendor portal, Long Beach Buys, by 11 a.m., on Feb. 8, 2024. Specific details related to eligibility requirements and submission instructions are available on the Long Beach Buys website. The City also has developed an instructional video about the registration process. 

This program is made possible by the Long Beach Recovery Act, a plan to fund economic and public health initiatives for Long Beach residents, workers and businesses critically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional information about the Long Beach Recovery Act is available at longbeach.gov/recovery.

The Mobile Healthy Food Market program aligns with Goal 4, Strategy 1 of Long Beach’s Racial and Reconciliation Initiative to increase access to fresh foods and vegetables for communities in food deserts, including healthy market partnerships, farmers’ markets, community gardens, and pop-up farm stands.

Media inquiries can be directed to the Jennifer Rice Epstein, Public Affairs Officer, Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, 562.441.3590 or Jennifer.RiceEpstein@longbeach.gov.