There’s a fresh, new market on the University of Guelph campus!
Thanks to a collaboration between several partners, the U of G community can now shop for produce at the Campus Fresh Food Market on Thursdays during the month of March.
One of the defining characteristics for this market is its use of a sliding scale payment system. This means that produce can be purchased within a range of prices (for example, an Ontario apple costs between 20 and 90 cents), and the customer chooses what they’d like to pay at checkout.
Vivian Ma, a Feeding 9 Billion peer helper, shared that while conducting surveys of the campus community, “affordable and healthy food was a theme that kept surfacing.”
The initial turnout has demonstrated an interest in this type of market on campus.
“Students attending were very excited to see this market up and running,” said Maya Nickle, another Feeding 9 Billion peer helper.
Samantha Casey the Sustainability Co-ordinator with U of G Hospitality Services exclaimed, several people were waiting before we opened!”
The market started from a discussion about food insecurity on campus. Surveys of the campus community showed a clear need for more affordable produce. By offering the market on campus with a sliding scale payment system, produce and other goods can be sold more accessibly.
The Campus Fresh Food Market is a collaboration between these departments and organizations across campus: Arrell Food Institute, U of G Sustainability Office, U of G Hospitality Services, the CSA Student Food Bank, the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute, Meal Exchange, the SEED, and the Feeding 9 Billion peer team. Thank you to these partners for making the market possible!
