• ECFI Home
• Site Map
• Useful Links
• About ECFI
  • Methodology
  • ECFI Background
  • Promotion
  • Provision
• Promos and Recipes
• Food Poverty
• Community Programme
  • Food Co-ops
  • Growing/Sourcing
• Children's Health
  • Happy Jack Project
  • Little Leithers

Promotion

As well as the seasonal promotional programme involving the community food co-ops, a large number of promotional events and activities are carried out as part of each of the project’s programmes.

ECFI supports a large number of community based events, conferences and seminars, providing education, training and groupwork input as well as running stalls and workshops. All of this work is aimed at increasing people’s skills, knowledge, confidence and awareness of food and health issues.

Much of this work is done in partnership with other agencies; one of many examples of this is the presence at the Edinburgh Mela along with the Khush Dil project. ECFI and Khush Dil dipped their collective toe into providing a fruit, smoothie and information stall at the 2004 Mela and subsequently built on this experience at the 2005 event, where the British Heart Foundation was an additional partner.

Through the seasonal promotion programme we provide support to the local community food co-ops allowing them to carry out at least four co-ordinated promotional events every year.

The promotional events are generally linked to the changing seasons but also give us the opportunity to introduce specific food issues such as locally grown fruit and veg, organic produce and Fairtrade items.

Each promotional event highlights the benefit of a specific fruit or vegetable and each food co-op user is given a free sample of this along with information, recipes and often a chance to sample the featured fruit or veg.

This allows people to try something that might be unfamiliar to them or to introduce new ways to use familiar fruits and vegetables. Breaking down barriers in this way helps expand the range of healthy foods that people feel comfortable buying.

Aside from the basic healthy eating messages the seasonal promotional programme gives us the opportunity to raise awareness of a variety of other food issues, e.g.

Seasonality: When produce is in season it is at its best and should be at its cheapest. Knowledge of what’s in season and when has been eroded by supermarkets seemingly trying to stock everything all year round, to the point that people no longer know when things are harvested in their natural, local environment.

Locally grown produce: Again the dominance of the big supermarket chains is largely responsible for key aspects of the local food chain disappearing. Very few of us know where our food has been grown, when it was picked or how far it has travelled. Opportunities to buy locally grown food locally are becoming rare, outwith the increase of organic box delivery schemes that are becoming increasingly prevalent but for many are not an affordable option.

Organic and Fairtrade produce: The seasonal promotional programme is an opportunity to introduce organic and fairtrade produce to a target group that are largely excluded from accessing this food and the related debate, again due to issues of affordability.

>>Find out more about ECFI promotional materials fruit and vegetable recipe cards