FoodSEqual Health - Food Plymouth

Fresh Street Community is bringing fresh fruit and vegetables to Whitleigh!

A new fruit and vegetable scheme launching in Whitleigh from December 2023 to October 2024.

What is Fresh Street Community?

This is a research study run by the University of Reading and University of Plymouth and is part of the FoodSEqual, Food systems Equality Project. FoodSEqual is a 5-year project which is working with local communities and food industry partners to improve the food system. See here for more information about the FoodSEqual project.

More about the FoodSEqual project

I have received Fresh Street vouchers – “how do I use them?”

You can use them to buy fresh fruit and vegetables every two weeks by following the steps below:

Step1: Bring your vouchers to the Salvation Army Hall (Lancaster Gardens, PL5 4AA) on Tuesday between 10am and 12pm. The Fresh Street team will redeem them and order your fruit and vegetables.

Step 2: You collect your fruit and vegetables from Salvation Army on Thursday between 10am and 12pm.

I have not received any vouchers – “can I still order fruit and vegetables?”

Yes! Currently we are offering £5 bags of seasonal fruit and vegetables.

You can order them every two weeks by following the steps below:

Step1: Come along to the Salvation Army Hall (Lancaster Gardens, PL5 4AA) on Tuesday between 10am and 12pm. The Fresh Street team will place your order for fruit and vegetables.

We accept card and cash.

Step 2: You collect your fruit and vegetables from Salvation Army Hall on Thursday between 10am and 12pm.

What is the aim of Fresh Street Community?

The aim of the Fresh Street Community is for everyone regardless of where they live to be able to get good quality, fresh fruit and vegetables.

During the 10 month scheme we want to:

Find out the best ways of getting fruit and vegetables to local communities, like Whitleigh.
Bring together people at community hubs to share ideas and to learn about different ways of cooking and eating vegetables.
Use these activities as a way of talking about the benefits of eating fruit and vegetables.
Find out how people benefit from having more fruit and vegetables and from taking part in these activities and learning.

How does it work?

Every two weeks a local fresh fruit and vegetable supplier, Tamar Fresh, will come to Whitleigh. All households taking part in the study (and other local households) will be able to pre-order and then collect fresh fruit and vegetables via an ‘order and collect’ system every fortnight.

The FoodSEqual Health-Team, Community Food Researchers from Whitleigh, a Community Health Champion, local partners and researchers from the University of Plymouth, will organise fun events to try new recipes and share skills and ideas for cooking and eating vegetables which take place every fortnight on Thursdays, at Salvation Army Hall.

Who can take part?

300 households in Whitleigh will be invited to take part in the scheme, regardless of their income, type or number of people living there.

These 300 households fall into two groups. The Community Research Team will work with everyone in the study, individuals and families, to offer activities and learning about fruit and vegetables at events held every fortnight at the Salvation Army Hall. 150 of these households will be able to place orders for fresh fruit and vegetables with the Community Research Team.

The other 150 households will be invited to take part in the community activities and receive a Fresh Street Community voucher worth £10 every two weeks, which can be used to order fruit and vegetables from the Fresh Street supplier.

The aim is to compare differences between the group who take part in the cooking, learning and tasting activities and the group who take part in these activities and who also receive the vouchers.

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF A £5 BAG OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLES.

How will we know if Fresh Street is effective?

The Community Research Team will be speaking to someone from every household to find out more about their eating, shopping and health and wellbeing. This will happen twice during study, at the beginning and at the end. We will also assess the impact Fresh Street by doing the following:

Food and Wellbeing Chats
Biomarkers Study (more information will be provided to those take part in the study)
Signposting to NHS Health Checks
Interviews, focus groups and specially designed activities.

What will happen after the study?

We will share what we find out from this research about the benefits of the scheme and the best ways of getting fruit and vegetables to local communities, like Whitleigh. We are hoping the scheme can be adopted across Plymouth more widely, by working with local and community partners.