New Llanelli Food Co-op offers a cheaper way to your five-a-day

LLANELLI’s latest Food Co-op is set to make it easier – and cheaper – for people to get their five-a-day.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Coleshill Centre Food Co-op, supported by the Welsh Government-funded Rural Regeneration Unit, launches on Wednesday (October 2), allowing people to buy a bag of mixed fruit or vegetables for £3.50.

As well as benefitting the consumer, the co-operative will help disabled and disadvantaged volunteers to gain new skills, as they will order, sort, pack and sell the goods.

It will also have a positive knock-on effect for producers, who grow the fruit and vegetables locally, with a direct route to market.

As well as helping people enjoy a healthy diet, the co-op will also help them keep a healthy bank balance, and that is just the note that Coleshill is aiming to strike.

Gareth John, the council’s Head of Mental Health and Learning Disabilities, said: “We want to help people to buy cheap, but healthy foods, and in doing so they will be supporting the training of adults who are disabled or disadvantaged because of work-limiting conditions.”

People will be able to call in to Coleshill every Wednesday from 2-5pm to order and collect their fruit and veg.

Once the project is established in Llanelli, there are plans to set up similar co-ops in Ammanford and Carmarthen.

Cllr Jane Tremlett, Executive Board Member for Health and Social Care, and Disabilities Ambassador, said:

“We know that many people are struggling to put food on the table. At Coleshill, we want to help people to buy the freshest, nutritious, healthy foods at realistic prices and in doing so they will be supporting the training of adults who are disabled or disadvantaged because of work-limiting conditions. It is a win-win scheme which will be of great benefit to the providers and the local customers.”