top of page

Healthy
markets la

Our program mission is to empower neighborhood market owners to become healthy food retailers.

Low-income neighborhoods and communities of color have three times as many small markets than more affluent and white neighborhoods. Yet, on average, they also have half as many full-service grocery stores.

IMG_6951.JPG
healthymarketla.png
healthymarketla.png

Healthy markets la

Our program mission is to empower neighborhood market owners to become healthy food retailers.

Low-income neighborhoods and communities of color have three times as many small markets than more affluent and white neighborhoods. Yet, on average, they also have half as many full-service grocery stores.

IMG_6951.JPG
DSC03164.jpg
CULTIVATING FARMERS.png
Screen+Shot+2021-12-14+at+4.06.02+PM.png

A longstanding initiative with roots in our working groups, Healthy Markets LA (formerly Healthy Neighborhood Market Network) partners with neighborhood market and corner store owners to increase access to healthy food and provide support with business development. We focus our work in South L.A. and the Northeast San Fernando Valley where redlining and disinvestment have led to low access to fresh, whole foods and produce. Low-income communities in Los Angeles have on average three times as many corner stores as affluent neighborhoods, moreover, low-income communities only have half as many full-service grocery stores. Healthy Markets L.A. leverages the important role of small corner stores and provides material investments, Healthy Retail Bootcamp workshops, and one-on-one services to store owners resulting in increased healthy food and fresh produce inventory, store infrastructure improvements, and enhanced business operations. 

Village Mart & Deli (2200 N Soto St, Los Angeles, CA 90032) is a community hub for El Sereno residents and commuters alike in the eastside of Los Angeles, where quality local grocery stores are scarce. The store has been a popular stop on Soto Street for decades, and the current owners were regular customers before taking over the store in 2018. For sister-brother duo Linda and Armando Mejia, buying the corner store and deli was a labor of love, but without prior food business experience, they had to learn on the job with little external support. With a strong commitment to serving fresh and healthier food options in their hometown, they teamed up with the Los Angeles Food Policy Council’s Healthy Markets LA (HMLA), a program aimed to ensure that Angelenos can access fresh produce within a half a mile of their residence.

Program Overview

By working with storeowners to champion healthy food access, HMLA supports community vitality and economic development. Storeowners receive training, guidance and upgrades to their stores, transforming them into beacons of healthy, affordable food. As a result, communities have more options for living a healthy life. 

If your organization or agency seeks support with a healthy retailer program, we now offer consulting services. For more information, please contact: info@goodfoodla.org

We reside, work, and cultivate food
on unceded Indigenous homelands.

We acknowledge and honor the descendants of the Tongva, Kizh, and Gabrieleño peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands). We pay our respects to the Honuukvetam (Ancestors), ‘Ahiihirom (Elders) and ‘Eyoohiinkem (our relatives/relations) past, present and emerging.

As part of a greater foodshed, we would also like to pay respect to and honor the Chumash, Tataviam, Serrano, Kitanemuk, ʔíviĨuqaletem, Acjachemen, Payómkawichum, and any other tribal group possibly not mentioned. As a Food Policy Council for Los Angeles we recognize this land acknowledgment is limited and engagement is an ongoing process of learning and accountability. To learn more about these First Nations, visit here.

Our Stores

Rectangle 124.png

Emma's Meat Market

Rectangle 125.png

Hanks Mini Market

Rectangle 126.png

Hot & Cool Cafe

Rectangle 127.png

Lupita's Corner Market

Rectangle 128.png

Community Bodega

Rectangle 139.png

Pickford Market

Rectangle 130.png

Sam's Corner Store

Rectangle 131.png

South LA Market

Rectangle 132.png

Soto Street Market

Rectangle 133.png

Village Mart and Deli

Rectangle 140.png

Venus Market

Rectangle 135.png

Zunigas Market

bottom of page