Achi news desk-
Many Canadians these days are looking for ways to save money on their groceries. In some cities, nonprofits and food co-ops are giving people alternative options as they try to change their shopping habits and reduce their bills. Here’s a look at what some organizations are doing:
In Montreal, a weekly market charges what customers can afford
The weekly fruit and vegetable market set up on Mondays in Montreal’s Pointe-St-Charles neighborhood looks like any other small grocery store. Customers chat with volunteers as they fill their baskets with cauliflower, potatoes and leafy greens.
At checkout things are different. Here, pricing works on a three tier sliding scale.
The pay-what-you-can market is an initiative by Share the Warmth, which also operates a food bank and provides other community services in the south-west of the city.
Kimber Fellows, the organisation’s director of philanthropic development and communications, says the market was developed to “fill a gap” identified after surveys of food bank users showed that many wanted more fresh produce in their diet but only they had a few dollars a week to spend on such items.
She says the rising cost of living has forced many to reduce their spending on fresh, healthy food because it is not a fixed cost like rent or electricity.
“It’s one of the only areas where they can try to save. So we’re seeing a lot of families being forced to shop at the dollar store or buy things that are, maybe, rich in carbs but low in nutrients,” she said.
“That’s why it’s really important for organizations like us to be able to increase access to healthy food.”
It’s not just low-income clients who visit the market.
Shoppers have three options: pay the lowest price, which is the cost the organization pays the food supplier; pay a slightly higher price of “sharing warmth”; or, for those who can afford to support the program, choose a “pay it forward” price.
In the summer, the market operates outdoors, with a farmer’s market look. In winter, it is held in an airy, light-filled space on the second floor of a church. There are sometimes recipe demonstrations, and volunteers are on hand to help direct people to food banks or some of the organisation’s other services.
Steven Wells fills his basket with green peppers, onions, cucumbers and carrots. The longtime client says that the atmosphere and the quality of the food are just like
Montreal’s better known Atwater and Jean-Talon markets.
“The only thing is, it’s lower in price – prices we can afford.”
—By Morgan Lowrie in Montreal
A Toronto co-op is helping shoppers avoid grocery store giants
Tucked away on Karma Lane in Toronto’s Annex neighborhood, Karma Co-op is a haven for shoppers looking to spend their grocery dollars in their community instead of in the handful of grocery stores that sell the majority of food in Canada.
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The co-op was started, in part, because of a lack of trust in large grocery chains, said general manager Zachary Weingarten.
“Even back in 1972, people were frustrated with the bigger supermarkets and the consolidation they were seeing in the industry, putting the smaller stores out of business,” he said.
“Fifty-two years later, we still face many of the same problems.”
Many co-operatives born during that time no longer operate, says co-op president Sharon Mandair, but Karma has continued to some extent because it bought the building it’s in, a former bakery.
The co-op focuses on local, organic and ethical produce, many of which are available in bulk so shoppers can reuse containers and buy only what they need.
And the more members, the better the prices Karma can offer.
Karma has about 550 active members and another 100 long-standing members who come in less often, Mandair said. There are also around 100 guest shoppers a month.
Members pay less than guest shoppers and get an extra discount if they sign up for shifts at the co-op. Members who work two hours in a month receive a five per cent discount the following month.
Some food, such as organic produce, is competitively priced compared to supermarkets thanks to the co-op’s relationships with farmers and producers, Weingarten said.
But he says shoppers tend to join the co-op because it aligns with their values. Karma has policies to ensure that products meet certain conditions, including ethical, sustainable and nutritional considerations. And as a co-operative, it does not have to turn a profit to shareholders.
Because the co-op prioritizes local suppliers, “all the money goes back into the local economy.”
With supermarkets making record profits and the number of food banks getting longer and longer, “there’s something not working right in our food system,” Weingarten said.
– By Rosa Saba in Toronto
In Vancouver, a non-profit offers a lottery for salvaged food
Stash Food Foundation opened its Salvaged Food Market in Vancouver in 2021 with a pay-what-you-feel system. But executive director Carla Pellegrini says it’s too popular and the store has to pivot to a customer lottery.
“There are too many people to serve and not enough food or staff here to serve all of them as much as we would like,” said Pellegrini from the warehouse of the organization that hosts the weekly market.
Every three months, organizers choose 160 people at random from applications submitted. Those drawn pay a membership fee of $2 per week and receive an appointment time to collect their food every Thursday.
The organization also provides a home delivery program for people with disabilities or chronic health problems.
The nonprofit aims to remove any stigma associated with not being able to afford the rising costs of food and provides another option for those who don’t want to use services like food banks, Pellegrini said.
“With the affordability crisis and (because) food prices are rampant, there is a lot of demand for our work and others in the space doing similar work,” he said.
“We’re all looking for creative ways to save a little money on our groceries. There are many different ways we can do that to … waste less food and therefore waste less money.”
The market sources its food from grocery stores in the city that would otherwise throw it out. It saves around 54,000 kilograms of food every month.
The food is still edible and safe to eat, says Pellegrini, but stores decide to clear it from their shelves for various reasons.
“What’s wrong with this?” she says about a box of frozen tortellini, before noting its best before date is February 2024.
“But it’s frozen and it’s pasta. So you could eat this for the next year, and it would be fine.”
Much of the food the foundation receives is fresh produce, most of which would be thrown away by stores because it is “ugly” or pieces or pieces that spoil need to be removed. early.
“It takes a little more care that grocery stores don’t,” Pellegrini said.
“The environmental impact case is a huge reason why we exist but, of course, providing dignified access to food is very important.”
— By Brieanna Charlebois in Vancouver
The traveling food market of St. John’s supplies variety, low prices
It’s a gray day in St. John’s, NL, and the selection of produce available in a small room on the Canadian Academy campus surpasses most grocery stores in the city.
It’s cheaper, too. And that’s the point.
Sarah Crocker, with the non-profit Food First Newfoundland and Labrador, stands behind tables offering bok choy, beets, jalapenos, Asian pears and sweet, long peppers.
At $2 for each bundle, or three for $5, Crocker says her Food on the Move pop-up market offers affordable ways for people to buy smaller, more manageable quantities of fresh produce.
She says it gives people living alone a way to cut down on waste and those on low incomes a cheap alternative to big-name grocery stores. It also allows them a cheap way to try something new.
“I think it’s a bit of a misconception that people on low incomes should only eat basic foods,” Crocker said. “I’m even surprised by how much variety people are looking for and interested in.”
Through Food First NL, Crocker buys produce from wholesalers such as Costco. She is also a farmer and, when she can, sources produce from fellow farmers.
A dozen local eggs at the market cost $5.
Crocker takes the market across the city each week, from the student center at Memorial University to neighborhoods with high concentrations of public housing.
After selling at Academy Canada, it will go to a community center across the city to set up after a bingo game for the elderly.
“If you live on a low income, well-intentioned people will be like, ‘Maybe you could shop in bulk. Maybe you could find a sale,’” he said.
“But when you think about how a household is going to do that, if they don’t own their own vehicle, and public transport isn’t great, and big discount grocery stores are way out of the city centre. – it’s outrageous.”
– By Sarah Smellie in St
