Many people have trouble getting healthy foods in Baltimore City. Some even have trouble getting to supermarkets. It is hard to have a healthy diet when you cannot access healthy foods easily. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), not eating healthy foods can lead to chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
Virtual Supermarket Program
It is the mission of the Virtual Supermarket Program(VSM) to work with communities and grocery stores to facilitate access to healthy foods. Currently, VSM helps older adults living in senior/disabled housing access healthy foods by working with communities and supermarkets. The staff and Neighbor Food Advocates of Virtual Supermarket teach Baltimore residents online grocery shopping and community organizing skills to encourage ownership of their local food environments as well as healthy eating. Neighborhood Food Advocates are trained community members whose mission is to generate community-driven approaches to increase food access. With this program, we can reach residents who do not have sufficient access to healthy foods.
- Baltimore Food Policy Initiative(BFPI)
- B’more Fresh
The Department of Planning and the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future collaborate to examine the Baltimore food environment through research, analysis, and mapping in order to inform BFPI’s work.