Our Program
The Community Market Conversion (CMC)Program transforms convenience stores in neighborhoods with limited healthy food access into healthy food community markets by providing technical, financial and community engagement resources to stores. Originally piloted at the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (CRA/LA), the CMC Program is a now a project of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council, a non-profit initiative being incubated by the Office of Mayor Villaraigosa.
The market “conversion” strategy is to partner with “mom n’ pop” neighborhood stores to market and sell more fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthy grocery items. Qualified store owners enroll in a business development program that offers the following:
- Financing and Store Renovations including new refrigeration, equipment, market signage as well as other improvements, giving the store a whole new “look” inside and out.
- Business Coaching including one-on-one training to strengthen your business overall
- Food Retail Technical Assistance from professionals on product sourcing, pricing, merchandising and marketing to successfully promote healthy food products.
- Community Outreach & Marketing to create partnerships with the local community.
