Farmers’ markets near medical centers and clinics promote healthy eating

OAKLAND, Calif. — Oakland, California has no shortage of farmers' markets. On Saturday, there's the massive Lake Merritt market. On Sunday, there's a burgeoning market in the parking lot of the DMV on Claremont in the Temescal neighborhood. On Tuesday, there's one on a strip of cement a few blocks from the Ashby BART where market-goers can fill up on produce if they missed out on the weekend offerings.

Standing proudly among these large-scale markets is a smaller one, every Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., outside of Kaiser Permanente hospital on Broadway. Despite its relatively small selection, it may be one of the more important markets in the state.

The market began in 2003, when Kaiser physician Preston Maring realized that a farmers' market on the hospital grounds would be a natural fit, "because what people eat has a crucial impact on their health." That's not exactly a profound thought, but if you ever happened to visit a hospital cafeteria in the early oughts, with offerings generally fried and certainly gross, it was a dramatic one.

The market did so well that Kaiser opened another one at their national headquarters in downtown Oakland. (It's still there every Wednesday afternoon.) Eleven years later, there are over 50 Kaiser-associated farmers' markets spread out across four states, including several in Los Angeles. (You can search for one in your area here.)

"The goal of the Kaiser Permanente farmers' markets is to address the obesity epidemic and to improve the health of our employees, members, and community residents by making fresh fruits and vegetables convenient and readily available," a Kaiser spokesperson said.

Obesity leads to all sorts of health problems, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and depression. Obesity also disproportionately affects low-income families, which is why Kaiser makes it a point to accept all forms of payment benefits, including EBT, CalFresh, and SNAP. The markets also provide free cooking demonstrations as a way to making a lasting dietary change within the home.