Budget Food Plan

[rue_d_etropal]

The following is deliberately written to make people think. This is only the first stage. It will hopefully generate some discussion(which probably means it won’t), but please post you comments. I have my own ideas on what to say next, but those may change depending on what others say. This business idea might already be out there, but I still what the discussion.
Some might guess my intension, no problem, as that means I am thinking in right direction. Hopefully what I say later will be even more useful and thought provoking. Must stop waffling.Just notice that this is post number 100 for me, quite significant,
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Here is an idea for a business(or more like several competing).

There is a lot of talk about healthy eating and family budgets. Some people say they simply cannot afford to buy healthy food as it costs a lot more than cheaper junk food. Short term gain, forget the long term consequences. I sometimes feel like this , especially when my family say they want something for their lunch.
Many people hate shopping, and do it grudgingly. As a result they often spend more on things they don’t want, and then throw it away. Buy One Get One Free offers are especially tempting.
So budget and healthy eating should be looked at together and my idea would be to set up a scheme where a family sets a budget, then contacts a supplier (could be one retailer, or a specialist sourcing from various retailers/suppliers). This supplier would then agree to deliver enough food every week to feed that family. As certain types of food cost more at various times of the year, the food delivered will change depending on what is available within budget. Even taking this into account, fresh food in winter is more expensive, but the cost would average out with lower prices in summer.
In practice, you would decide how much food you want for the coming week or month, and contact the supplier to put in an order. A bit like online home shopping , and I would expect this idea would appeal to big supermarkets as well. The main difference to current systems is that you decide how much you are prepared to put in the money pot each week, and you leave it up to the supplier to deliver the food you require.
At the end of the year, the supplier will send a detailed account of what has been delivered and how much is has actually cost. If you are in credit, then you can either reduce the amount you pay each month, or get a refund, possibly both. If you are in debit, then the amount you pay for next year goes up.

[JohnB]

Sourcing, packing and delivery would be expensive, especially if each box is different. You'd probably need to include recipes and instructions on how to process some foods. Then there are the fussy eaters who don't like certain foods.

It would probably be quite a small market, so maybe that makes it suitable for small local businesses. It would be interesting to do some market research and a business plan, to see if it's viable.

[clv101]

Simon, did the follow the discussions around Live Below the Line last week? They are on Facebook too. A lot to think about when feeding oneself on the cheap.

We did it for less than £1 a day last week: http://chrisvernon.co.uk/2011/05/live-below-the-line/

[biffvernon]

Not sure where to find the data, but I think that the British spend less of their income on food than pretty much any other nation in the world. It's a habit that is hard to break and isn't helped by each of the supermarkets telling us to always check the prices and that we should shop with them because they are cheaper.

It produces a great pressure on food retailers to exploit any weakness further up the food chain (and the farmer is often the weakest) and to make food quality as low a priority as one can get away with. It leads to farming being industrialised with low labour but high machinery, chemical and energy inputs that are, for now, still cheap. Animal welfare takes a low priority.

It's a problem for a food retailer who wants to buck the trend and deliver food of a high quality. My daughter's delicatessen shop is such a case and she is pushed into supplying mostly to a small niche of rich foodies for whom price is not important.

[emordnilap]

Precisely. Supermarkets are anything but cheap.

[clv101]

Not sure where to find the data, but I think that the British spend less of their income on food than pretty much any other nation in the world.

In the UK we're around 15% of disposable income, the US are under 10%!

[biffvernon]

That sounds plausible when one considers American food quality and its results on the population.

'Disposable' income rather than total income adds a level of distortion to international comparisons.

Here's an interesting set of comparative photo-anecdotes:
http://www.rustylime.com/show_article.php?id=1497

[ujoni08]

Interesting to see the food laid out by weekly consumption in the various countries. Starts to look healthier as you go towards the poorer countries, then gets shocking when you get to Chad.
Jon

[clv101]

Here's an interesting set of comparative photo-anecdotes:
http://www.rustylime.com/show_article.php?id=1497

Nice example of some of the issues we face, with perhaps some clues to their solutions in the bottom half the the page.

My £1 a day week, was most similar to the Ecuador week photo.

What would it take for the top third and bottom third adjust their diets towards those in the middle third?

[emordnilap]

Included in some pictures of that 'food' is a hell of a lot of Coca-Cola or a clone of it. And the bottled water in the German pic comes across as a bit silly.

[featherstick]

The "nutrition transition" before our very eyes (discounting the refugee camp). Amazing photos, thanks for posting.

[clv101]

Coke consumption is simply amazing:
http://www.prosebeforehos.com/image-of- ... er-capita/

Annual review:
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/inve ... _2010.html

[featherstick]

And to return to the OP:

Veg boxes are a variant of what you are proposing. I know from working in one such scheme that the supply side is really difficult, and for a small part of people's weekly food shop their demands were really high i.e. "no potatoes, please substitute with asparagus".

I also think that those who want to eat healthily and to a budget, already do. Are you proposing that your model helps people who want to eat healthily but don't know how to? How are you going to educate them about all the new fresh ingredients they are getting?

[JohnB]

Coke consumption is simply amazing:
http://www.prosebeforehos.com/image-of- ... er-capita/

I haven't had one for years, so someone else must be drinking my share!

[emordnilap]

Coke consumption is simply amazing:
http://www.prosebeforehos.com/image-of- ... er-capita/

I haven't had one for years, so someone else must be drinking my share!

I know; and as neither SWMBO nor I will buy the stuff, someone is giving Coca-Cola three times as much money than average, especially for us.