New scheme targets ‘Good Food For All’
Families in Cambridge are taking part in a new scheme which aims to improve access to affordable and sustainably grown produce in the city. Cambridge Sustainable Food, working in collaboration with Cambridge Food Hub and Cambridge Organic Food Company, are piloting a Healthy Start Fruit and Veg Box scheme to help make good quality, healthy and sustainable food accessible to all.
The new scheme is open to families receiving Healthy Start vouchers, a government initiative providing vouchers for fresh produce to families who are in receipt of benefits and are pregnant or have a child under four years old. Eligible families signing up to the scheme receive a box full of fresh fruit and vegetables delivered weekly to their door by Cambridge Food Hub and Cambridge Organic Food Company, in exchange for their Healthy Start voucher and a £2 membership fee. Participants also receive recipes and tips to help them get the most out of their fruit and veg box.
“The idea behind the ‘Healthy Start’ veg box scheme couldn’t be simpler; our vans are already delivering food all over Cambridge anyway, so it is very efficient to use that infrastructure to deliver good food to people who might otherwise struggle to afford it.
Cambridge Food Hub coordinates local food supply-chains in a way that both reduces the environmental impact of food and ensures that food is distributed more equitably in our community. Undertaking this pilot project with Cambridge Sustainable Food and the Cambridge Food Poverty Alliance is a big step towards creating a self-sustaining system which can improve access to healthy and sustainably produced food for everyone. Something we like to call ‘Good Food for All.” Duncan Catchpole, Cambridge Food Hub
The trial scheme is running for six weeks through funding from Food Power, an organisation tackling food poverty nationally through people-powered change. The project is part of a wider programme of work aimed at addressing food inequality in the city, led by Cambridge Sustainable Food in partnership with the Cambridge Food Poverty Alliance.
“In 2018 Cambridge was declared the most unequal city in the UK for the second year running*. Food bank use has risen significantly in recent years and the arrival of Covid-19 is increasing food insecurity for local families, many of whom we are supporting through our emergency food programme.
We are delighted to be collaborating with Cambridge Food Hub and Cambridge Organic Food Company to help tackle this issue through piloting the Healthy Start Fruit and Veg Box scheme, and hope to extend its reach in the future.” Gemma Birley, Cambridge Sustainable Food
The pilot scheme launches on 10th June to coincide with Sustainable Food Places’ Day of Action and Celebration, which aims to showcase the important work that Food Partnerships such as Cambridge Sustainable Food are doing across the UK, as they adapt to meet the needs arising from the Covid-19 crisis.