Cultural Boundaries to Access in Farmers Markets Accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

The alternative food movement aims to alleviate racial and class inequalities in the conventional American food system by providing economically and socially sustainable markets that invigorate communities while providing access to environmentally safe, nutritious foods. While activists and organizers reach towards this ideal, many alternative food markets fall short, creating additional cultural barriers to food access that restrict participation among marginalized groups. Through ethnographic methods including participant observation and formal, semi-structured interviews, I examine the process through which these cultural barriers are created and persist in two urban farmers markets; both markets are located in or in very close proximity to food deserts and accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP; formerly known as food stamps). I find that one field site has been successful in integrating low-income, minority consumers into the market economy, while the other field site has not. I identify three salient narratives—norms of market participation, the concept of community, and perceptions of low-income consumers—that differ in content across markets. In addition, based on interviews and field notes, I describe the alternative food system experiences of low-income, racial minority consumers who reside in food deserts and or receive SNAP. I build on previous theories of cultural distinction and boundary maintenance in alternative food systems and offer several implications based on these findings.