The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Charity kicks off its online food market
ADundee charity has launched an online fresh food market with the aim of giving Dundonians a new way to shop locally and sustainably.
The Gate Church Carbon Saving Project has launched the new click-and-collect initiative NeighbourFood, an online shop where locals can buy from a number of fresh local producers.
Dundee is the sixth area in Tayside and Fife that has joined the country wide initiative, with digital farmers’ markets already in Blairgowrie, Errol, Crieff, Cupar and Auchterarder.
The carbon-saving project, which also runs the West End Community Fridge, launched the initiative on Thursday with the aim to encourage locals in Dundee to shop more sustainably and decrease their carbon footprint.
So far, the producers available to purchase from the online market are:
Preserves from Organic Welltree, Perthshire; meat and diary from Incheoch farm, Alyth; soap from
Smelleez, Blairgowrie; organic vegetables from The Wright Root, Blairgowrie; wine and cider from Cairn O’ Mohr, Errol; honey from Tay Bees and Honey, Dundee; wild game from Woodmill Game, Newburgh; home bakes from Love of Loaves, Perth; zero waste shop, the Little Green Larder, Dundee; fish from Stephenie’s Fresh Fish, Cellardyke, fresh dairy, Dundee Dairy Co; vegan food from Marwick Foods, Tayport; and artisan tea from Strathearn Tea, Perthshire.
The online initiative works as a weekly farmers’ market so locals can preorder their food online to either collect or have delivered by electric car.
Dundonians can preorder their food at the NeighbourFood Dundee website from Friday to Tuesday to either collect or be delivered on Thursdays.
Project co-ordinator Lynsey Penny said: “We’re trying to offer an alternative and really connect people to all the producers around who make all this amazing food. Dundee is such an amazing location for this as we’re in the middle of Fife Perth and Angus, there’s so much produce around and it’s just making that more easily available to a public who want to buy that stuff.
“NeighbourFood is a social enterprise. It was started in Ireland and I think a few years ago a few others popped up in Scotland. The Blairgowrie one has been going a couple of years and it’s been really successful and we thought all the wee towns have got one, surely there’s a place for that it Dundee.
“It never happened so we thought we’d just do it.”
Lynsey added: “This is part of a bigger project for us. We have the community fridge on Perth Road and we’re always encouraging people to take that step to a more sustainable way of living.
“We really want to encourage people to support local business, their local economy, their local community and reduce their carbon footprint at the same time.”