Friday, May 11, 2012

Fair Food

We've been getting boxes from CERES Fair Food program for almost 2 years now.  We started getting them when my workplace was a host (a drop of point where I could collect our box and extras from).  This past summer I wanted to continue getting boxes while my work was closed but I realized there were no hosts really close to me.  I decided to volunteer to host since I think it's such a great program and I wanted to support them to grow. 
I love that everything about Fair Food has been thought through to be sustainable and ethical.  Most of the food is grown locally (a lot of it around East Brunswick and Coburg) so the food miles are minimal.  It is all organic (better for the earth, better for people).  The farmers are paid 50% of the price the consumer pays.  The workers in the distribution warehouse are disadvantaged people that are gaining skills based on environmental and social principles.  The packaging used is minimal and most of it is re-used and can be recycled.  The profits support programs at CERES Environmental Park.  Any left over food after the boxes are packed is given to a soup kitchen.  Scraps that cannot be used are composted. 
The food is also very reasonably priced for organic produce since the food is bought in such large lots to be distributed between each of the boxes for the week. 
There are several sizes and varieties of boxes that are available.  Our box this week was the "Basic Mixed Box" ($30):


It contained 1/4 pumpkin, 1/2 cauliflower, 2 capsicums, 2 parsnips, lots o' carrots, 2 beetroots, a leek, lots o' potatoes, 5 onions, 2 broccoli heads, zucchini, 2 oranges, several apples and a bunch of bananas.
There are also a TON of extra items available including pantry items, household products and extra produce.  There are food hosts (box pick up points) all around Melbourne (including some outer suburbs as well as close to the city). 
If you've ever thought about getting an organic produce box, I highly CERES Fair Food.  We tried it and loved it so much we decided to host.