Using theory and formative work, we created a pilot VV program serving a lower-income housing community in Chapel Hill, NC between September and December 2011. Produce was sourced from a local produce home delivery company that delivered boxes of locally-grown NC produce directly to homes in the region. They offered the pre-packaged boxes to us at cost (approximately $6 for a small box and $10 for a large box). A small box was meant to feed 2-3 people and a large to feed 3-5 people.
VV sold both small ($8-10) and large ($12-15) boxes of produce as well as individual purchases of produce items. In addition, VV offered a nutrition volunteer and cooking demo at every weekly market. They gave nutrition lessons, offered free taste testing, and provided recipes and produce preparation tips. The market was open every Saturday morning for 2 hours. Customers were encouraged to pre-order boxes to guarantee enough were available, and they could pay when they picked them up using cash or EBT (i.e., food stamps).
VV sold both small ($8-10) and large ($12-15) boxes of produce as well as individual purchases of produce items. In addition, VV offered a nutrition volunteer and cooking demo at every weekly market. They gave nutrition lessons, offered free taste testing, and provided recipes and produce preparation tips. The market was open every Saturday morning for 2 hours. Customers were encouraged to pre-order boxes to guarantee enough were available, and they could pay when they picked them up using cash or EBT (i.e., food stamps).
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We chose a box model rather than a traditional market model for multiple reasons: 1.) Based on advice from a similar program in Ohio, we believed a box model would allow us to better predict how much food to order and minimize waste and financial loss; 2.) We could take advantage of seasonal gluts and discounted produce from our food aggregators; 3). We could use pre-packed boxes from our home delivery partner; and 4.) We believed that a box model would encourage customers to purchase more produce (and thus increase their F&V consumption more substantially) than if they were just picking the individual items they wanted. During the initial pilot, we found that while some customers purchased individual items, most purchased the boxes because it was the best deal. We evaluated the pilot using a pre-post study design. After the 3-month VV pilot, individuals purchasing produce from the VV weekly or every other week (high users) increased their F&V consumption by 2.1 servings/day compared to no increase (-0.1 servings) for those who purchased 1 time per month or less (low users). In general, we found that most customers purchased the boxes of produce since they were a better deal than purchasing individual items. Learn more about the research and download articles. |