WHILE the price of fresh food has risen due to flooding and wet weather in Australia\u2019s food-growing regions, one local produce store is doing their best to help consumers feeling the pinch.<\/p>\n
Ballarat Mushroom Farm\u2019s Tanya Lunn said they\u2019re keeping the prices of their fruit and vegetable boxes as low as they can at their Smythes Creek farmgate shop.<\/p>\n
Ms Lunn said her family business\u2019 priority is to \u201chelp people\u201d and keep them fed with Australian-grown produce.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to run on the leaner side, and some of the stuff we\u2019re not making any money on, we\u2019re just trying to keep the prices and the cost of living low enough that people can still have access to really good food,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re on a budget, you can go to McDonald\u2019s and spend $10 on a meal, but it\u2019s not nutritious. We would much prefer to run at a loss with some of the items that we stock, and see people eating fresh fruit and veg, rather than just loading up on cheap junk food.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re prepared to wear that for the next three to four months until Queensland can recover. It is only short-term pain hopefully until they can replant, and prices will eventually come back down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Lunn said her team is also mindful that if their produce is too expensive, it won\u2019t make its way to families\u2019 tables and will all go to waste.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been outlets selling broccoli for $19, and it was all wilted. It\u2019s all going to get thrown out, which is devastating, and it\u2019s a wasted opportunity to get food on people\u2019s plates,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ms Lunn strongly encourages Ballarat families to support their local producers, not only to keep them alive and thriving, but because the food they serve on their table will simply be fresher and tastier.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe only stock food grown within Australia. We can\u2019t afford to lose all our farms, because then we rely on imported products, and that\u2019s not cool.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment we have cauliflowers, cabbages and potatoes from Springbank, and apples from Bacchus Marsh for example,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sooner a product is picked, from paddock to plate, the better it is for the taste.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Ballarat Mushroom Farm offers personalised service. Their fruit and veg boxes can be tailor made, and can also include staples like dairy, bread, meat, honey, and jams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WHILE the price of fresh food has risen due to flooding and wet weather in Australia\u2019s food-growing regions, one local produce store is doing their best to help consumers feeling the pinch. Ballarat Mushroom Farm\u2019s Tanya Lunn said they\u2019re keeping the prices of their fruit and vegetable boxes as low as they can at their […]<\/p>\n