Coupon book | Healthy nutrition, discounts to boost farm business
Alberta schoolchildren may have a new healthy fundraising option with a farm fresh coupon book.
The tradition of selling chocolates to raise funds has hit a snag with many schools banning chocolate sales under a policy of emphasizing healthy eating. A new initiative by the Alberta Farm Fresh Producers Association hopes to combine school fundraising with healthy nutrition while also boosting business for local producers.
The pilot project is testing how having schoolchildren sell the Farm Fresh Coupon Book works as a fundraiser.
Promoters of the plan hope children will go with their parents to the farms, corn mazes and markets and learn more about fresh, local food.
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In turn, market gardens, greenhouses and agriculture tourism operators will attract new customers.
Ron Erdmann, president of the Alberta Farm Fresh Producers Association, said some producers are excited about it, while others aren’t keen on the idea.
“The agritourism people are really excited about it,” said Erdmann, who operates a greenhouse and market garden.
Erdmann plans to have a coupon that offers a discount on spring vegetables included in the pack, as well as a coupon on fresh vegetables in the fall and one redeemable in the late fall for vegetables like cabbage, carrots and potatoes.
For Erdman, it’s one more way to attract customers to his Sherwood Park farm on the outskirts of Edmonton.
“How many new people can we get interested in coming here?” he said.
Annette Anderwald, Alberta Agriculture’s dietitian, said the coupons should help get young people and good, local food together.
“We want to create an environment where it’s easy to eat well and hard to eat badly.”
About 20 producers have registered for the program, but Anderwald hopes about 120 producers will include coupons in the book.
Alberta Agriculture will fund the designing and printing of the coupon books in the pilot project year and hopes to have the coupon booklets ready to sell by January.
Anderwald said the project is a win, win, win. Kids win because they find out where fresh food comes from, schools win because they have a new healthy fundraising option and farmers win because they attract new customers.
