Community Food and Health (Scotland) has announced that its small grant scheme is now open.

The scheme makes Grants from £500 to £3,000 available to groups and agencies in Scotland who wish to improve access to, and take up of a healthy, varied and balanced diet. The initiative is open to those working with or within Scotland’s low-income communities, and all applications must tackle one or more of the barriers to healthy eating that were first outlined in the Scottish Diet Action Plan (1996).

These include tackling the lack of access to fruit and vegetables of an acceptable quality and cost, as well as the long established dietary habits and reluctance to experiment with new foods.

Applications must be for the costs of a new food activity or for developing the range, scale or sustainability of current food activity, according to organisers. It also accept applications for pilot projects or feasibility studies.

Priority will be given to applications that show that they will be able to sustain their food activity or learning from their food activity in the future, as well as those that show that their intended food activity is needed and wanted by those who will take part in it.

The closing date for applications for the scheme is Friday June 29.