In more precise terms, a significant proportion of people in low-income situations feel that supermarkets do not provide a service that meets their needs, either because supermarkets might be difficult to access physically or that their shopping needs are not catered for by them: (Cost saving benefits from supermarkets tend to come largely from bulk buying, which for many people on low incomes is not an easy option. Some highlighted that any potential saving from supermarket shopping was swallowed up by spending on unplanned items; therefore they preferred to avoid temptation and shop elsewhere. People reported that their experience of long-term management of a low-income showed there was little scope for dealing with unforeseen expenditure. Often the food budget is the only area where there is any flexibility. This leads to a feeling of insecurity with regard to the ability to stretch the budget between ´pay days´, it tends to inhibit large outlays on food at the beginning of a budgeting period and leads to food shopping occurring on a number of occasions throughout the period.) The consequent reliance on local shopping facilities with the attendant limit in the variety of affordable healthy choices available, combined with the decline in the transfer of skills and knowledge around food preparation in the population generally, creates a matrix of factors that inhibit the ability to make choices towards a healthier diet.

Provide and Promote

It was in order to address these issues that ECFI developed its Provide & Promote methodology. This entails acting as a wholesaler and delivery service to allow a wide range of high quality fresh fruit and vegetables being made available at affordable prices to local communities, schools, childcare organisations and other projects.

Community food outlets include local volunteer operated food co-operatives, as well as a range smaller initiatives such as fruit ´barras´ and fruit & veg stalls. These are typically located within local community facilities such as neighbourhood or community centres, G.P. surgeries, church halls, etc. ECFI delivers a comprehensive range of fresh produce at cost price on a sale or return basis to most of the groups it supports, as well as administrative and developmental support. All of ECFI´s children´s projects also follow this methodology and the provision of fresh produce is central to the wide range of complimentary development activities supported by each of the project.

ECFI has a large and wide ranging weekly customer base that includes: sixteen local community food co-operatives, around thirty smaller scale community food access initiatives such as fruit stalls and 12 Children and Family Centres across the city as well as responding to frequent requests to support local community events and projects.

The community programme´s basic order form is made up of around 80 different items of fresh produce, which is supplemented by a range of seasonal items throughout the year. The local food co-ops are supplied on a sale or return basis. This allows them to experiment with more unusual fruits and vegetables as well as to display an abundant amount of produce, helping to create an attractive display. The range covers everything from everyday items of the apples, bananas, tomatoes and potatoes type stuff, ranging through the mediterranean veg like aubergines, capsicums and courgettes to the positively exotic okra, Karela, mooli and physallis and lots more in between. The children´s projects have their own prescribed range of items and use a variety of approaches in their provisioning of children and families with fresh fruits and veg.
>> Find out more Children's Food Initiatives

We feel that is absolutely vital to recognise that information alone will not effectively enable people, particularly those in low-income circumstances, to make positive changes to their dietary habits.

Within the community programme an ongoing programme providing education and groupwork opportunities helps community groups and other projects to gain an insight into addressing food issues. The main promotional activity involving the food co-ops is the Seasonal Promotion Programme. Co-ordinated and delivered by ECFI, this takes place four times a year and involves all of the food co-ops. The aim is to encourage food co-op users to become more aware of what is grown around them and when its in season.
>> Find out more about growing and sourcing
>> Find out more about Promotion