Those behind Crieff’s new Food for Good project are said to have been “blown away” by the support following its official opening.
Local charity Remake Scotland’s new initiative was unveiled by Crieff High School pupil Rowan Haines – the current Rotary Young Chef of the Year – and Perth and Kinross Council Provost Xander McDade on Tuesday last week.
Situated in East High Street, it is hoped Food for Good will make it easier for people to make sustainable choices and support Crieff’s Community Action Plan goal to become a ‘sustainable town’ by 2026.
It has also been devised to support people to reduce their plastic consumption, buy local produce, understand the carbon footprint associated with food production and make simple consumer changes which can help people to lower their carbon footprint.
Like Remake’s other environmental community projects, Food for Good will operate on a not-for-profit basis and see the charity work with the likes of The Handy Shop, Tomnah’a Market Garden, Comrie Croft, Farmton Farm, Petit Yellow Velo, Scotland the Bread, Creative Crieff and Crieff Connexions.
At the well-attended opening, Provost McDade gave a speech praising the project’s social and environmental ambitions and stressing the need for society to move back to “shopping like our grandparents” – namely buying plastic-free, local produce.
Remake general manager Amulree Welch also addressed those gathered and outlined the charity’s plans to deliver a food-based workshop programme and an intention to prioritise “collaboration ahead of competition”.
Later the same day, the first of the project’s environmental talks took place with ethical influencer, Less Waste Laura, attending to lead an informal session helping people to find ways to adjust their consumer habits to lower their carbon impact.
She empathised with people on the many complexities around trying to shop sustainably but stressed that people’s daily choices make a difference.
Her top tip for the evening was for people to review their apps and email subscriptions.
She explained: “It’s amazing how much you can save and how much less you are tempted to buy just by removing those things from your phone!”
Speaking about the launch, Amulree said “It has been a very busy and exciting week!
“We have been blown away by the positive response from our community.
“The popularity of the shop means we have already needed to introduce a second till and we’re planning to add an online ordering option too.
“It’s really important that we make it as easy as possible for people to choose to shop sustainably.
“A huge thanks should go to everyone who has supported us so far.”
The next events planned by Remake are a talk on Tuesday, October 8, led by organic producer Farmton Farm – based between Muthill and Auchterarder – which supplies Food for Good with its eggs and has introduced a popular roadside ‘honesty shed’ for their produce.
Remake will also hold its monthly climate cafe in Food for Good on Thursday, October 29, which will be led by environmental scientist and author Sandy Winterbottom – who has pioneered the ‘Paperboats’ online magazine.
The Food for Good shop will now be open Monday to Saturday, from 10am until 4pm.
Following the recent launch, Remake’s Reuse Hub in Muthill Road is now open from 10am until 4pm from Tuesday to Saturday.
For more information on Remake’s activities, see the website www.remakescotland.co.uk.