A new local food initiative is making planet-friendly fruit and vegetables accessible to all budgets while supporting local farmers.
Cardiff residents struggling with high grocery costs can apply for a new finance scheme to access healthy fresh produce while also supporting local farmers.
The Planet Card initiative will expand to offer 120 participants £11 weekly credit to spend with selected fruit and vegetable producers at Cardiff Farmers Markets in Riverside or Roath.
Carol Adams, enterprise manager at Cardiff Farmers Market said the scheme will support local businesses and help residents to make healthy and sustainable food choices.
Adams said, “It’s not only competitive on price with the supermarket, but you can also more easily control the amount you’re buying and get expert advice from producers on how to cook and store fresh fruit and veg.”
The six-month project is part of a UK-wide research programme improving equal access to climate-friendly food. The current UK food system is ‘unsustainable, unhealthy and unfair,’ according to a leading charity The Food Foundation.
Analysis from the charity’s latest report suggests that people on low incomes seeking healthy food options are currently being ‘set-up to fail’ and ‘relentlessly driven’ to unhealthy but cheaper options.
Vipul Halai works for a local distributor of fresh fruit, vegetables and other produce. He said local businesses are doing what they can to support customers but it’s getting harder for everyone to afford fresh, healthy food.
Halai said: “In three and a half years I think the prices have nearly doubled. That’s how hard it’s getting at the moment. The prices are just ridiculous now. Some customers can’t or don’t want to pay them.”
The Food Cardiff network promotes healthy, ethical and sustainable food across the city and is managing the project locally. Coordinator Pearl Costello said, “The Planet Cardiff is a great example of Food Cardiff’s mission in action – helping to put good food at the heart of strong, healthy, resilient communities. We look forward to reviewing what can be learnt… about supporting access to healthy sustainable food, and to how we as a partnership can build on that insight.”
Eligible Cardiff residents for the Planet Card scheme can apply online now.