'Fresh Street Community Project' helps families enjoy local fruit and veg this Christmas
The voucher scheme was developed by food researchers
A Plymouth-based project to help families access fruit and veg more easily for their Christmas dinners - and beyond - is being hailed a success.
Known as 'Fresh Street Community project', the pilot voucher scheme delivered in Whitleigh has resulted in an increase in local fruit and veg consumption.
Led by a team comprising of community food researchers, University of Plymouth academics and students, and fruit and vegetable wholesaler Tamar Fresh, the two-year project saw local residents given vouchers to pick up fresh fruit and veg fortnightly from the Salvation Army Hall.
In addition to collecting their boxes, residents involved in the scheme were encouraged to connect and swap recipes, with results showing an increase in social connections as well as healthy living.
One participant, who asked not to be named, said: “I am eating much healthier and lost 4.5 stones since I started using Fresh Street. I like that I am doing more for the community and getting out. Before I used to buy one-pound ready meals from value supermarkets which were not making me feel good but now with Fresh Street I cook meals from scratch regularly using the fresh fruit and veg."
The team is hosting a community celebration event on Friday 13 December from 2-5pm at the Salvation Army Hall, Whitliegh to share festive food – as well as exploring next steps to sustain the project’s success.
The Fresh Street Community project is part of ongoing research led by Dr Clare Pettinger at the University of Plymouth to improve access to food that is healthy, affordable and sustainable for local people.
She said: “Plymouth has communities that have difficulty accessing fresh quality food items.
"We have learnt from our research that local people want to eat more fruit/vegetables and feel better when they do. This project engaged many local citizens and made fresh produce available for them in familiar local spaces.”