Vulcan - Healthy Food Market

The Healthy Food Choice Program is an initiative of the ACT 4 Health Cancer Prevention coalition.

Vulcan is participating in the Alberta Healthy Communities Initiative supported by the Alberta Cancer Prevention Legacy Fund. The Healthy Food Choice Program is a cancer prevention strategy under the Coalition's Healthy Eating pillar, and is a partnership with Market Street Vulcan and Vulcan Regional Food Bank Society.

The goal is to increase awareness of the importance of healthy eating for cancer prevention in the community, as well as provide the Vulcan Food Bank with funds to purchase healthy food for their clients.

In December 2017, Healthy Food cards were placed on the shelves at Market Street to help shoppers identify healthy food choices. The cards are rotated by store staff.  The healthy food choices are based on Alberta Health Services' healthy foods list.  Anytime someone purchases one of the identified food items, Market Street donates a portion of the proceeds to Vulcan Food Bank.  Donations are processed on a quarterly basis.  Just a month and a half into the program, Market Street presented a donation of $145.00 to the Vulcan Food Bank.

Vulcan Food Bank is conducting a survey of their clients to ensure that the healthy food purchased through the program meets the needs and requirements of the clients.  The donations from Market Street are being tracked to determine the impact of the program for the clients, to continue to bring awareness of healthy eating to the community, and to share the progress of the program with the community.

Watch for the following additional strategies in this initiative:

• A display of healthy eating information and recipes;
• Informative food demonstrations by local producers featuring healthy food products that have been identified in the store, and
• Survey of store customers on the effect of the program.

Ways to take action: Community Strategies - Healthy Eating