Media Advisory: UB to host in-person Mobile Market Summit March 29-30

BUFFALO, N.Y. — After two years of virtual presentations, the Mobile Market Summit at the University at Buffalo will return to an in-person format March 29-30, with a virtual option as well.

This is the fourth year for the summit, which brings together mobile produce market operators, researchers and funders from around the country.

The in-person component will take place at UB’s New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. All sessions will be live streamed, and participants will still be able to ask questions and network with other attendees, both in person and virtual.

The summit is organized through the Veggie Van Training Center led by Lucia Leone, PhD, associate professor of community health and health behavior, School of Public Health and Health Professions.

“As we continue to navigate the ongoing pandemic and respond to subsequent changes in our food system, this year’s summit will include topics showing that mobile markets are a critical piece of food infrastructure,” says Leone.

Sessions will cover such themes as metrics, fundraising, policy and advocacy, emerging technology, customer retention, food as medicine, and more.

This year’s keynote speaker is Lauren Clay, associate professor and chair of the Department of Emergency Health Services at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, whose research focuses on individual, household and community recovery from disasters. Clay’s talk is titled “Disasters and Disruptions: Consequences and opportunities for food systems and food security.”

The full schedule and additional information are available on the summit website.

The Veggie Van Training Center continues to help mobile market operators across the country either start up or expand their operations, while also contributing academic research on the effectiveness of mobile produce markets.

Earlier this year, the team received $750,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support the expansion of the Veggie Van Training Center and the Mobile Market Coalition, resources that are used by mobile markets across the country.