An initiative that will see corner shops in deprived areas of England get grants to help them increase sales of fresh produce has been welcomed by the wholesale trade.
The department of health will be providing £200,000 per year over the next three years to help local shops increase their sales of fresh produce, and Fresh Produce Consortium wholesale division chairman Chris Hutchinson welcomed the announcement. “The quicker it moves nationwide and the more people it can involve the better,” he said. “If we can get 5 A DAY into the corner shops and decent fruit and vegetables that are attractively priced and presented, and even get the Food Dudes on board too, then I think we have a very exciting 10 years ahead of us.”
The £600,000 will be put towards new shelving, chiller cabinets and promotional materials. Retailers involved will agree to stock and promote fresh fruit and vegetables - the aim of the project being to show that healthy ranges are viable and profitable.
A project co-ordinator will work with the stores to help them to maximise profits and minimise waste. The coordinator will also help the stores tie in with local initiatives, such as plans to get more children eating their 5 A DAY.
Phase one will begin this autumn in the North East, with the aim of getting 120 stores in the area on board by May 2009. Stores in areas of deprivation or where there is little fresh fruit and vegetable produce available to the public from other outlets will be offered the opportunity to participate. The initiative will be branded with the Change4Life logo -the new government-led movement set up to help everyone change the way they live and live healthier lives.
A similar scheme is already up and running in Scotland. The scheme, which started with 10 stores and now has more than 500 on board, has seen participating shops benefit from an increase in profits - anything from 20 per cent up to 600 per cent on fruit and vegetables.
Health minister Ivan Lewis said: “Recent research found that teenagers frequently use shops on the way to and from school and during school lunchtimes. This scheme will help to encourage them to think twice and maybe opt for a healthier option.”
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