Launch of new Food Co-op

The Cornertone aims to open a food co-op at Cornerstone House on May 9, offering shoppers the chance to buy from a wide range of goods at genuinely unbeatable prices.

Organiser Norma Cowan said: “We have found there are people whose means are limited but who do have some money they can afford to spend on food - and who want to shop normally”.

Instead of going to the food bank and being handed emergency packages of pre-packed food these customers wilol in future be able to go to the food co-op and choose what they want from the selection available.

Norma said: “It won’t be a very wide selection, at least to begin with, but we are aiming to give people choice and food staples such as fresh food and vegetables at affordable prices - we’ll have a strong emphasis on healthy eating.

“We’ll open twice a week to begin with, for four hours each day - and hopefully while we’ll have to bear the cost ourselves to begin with it will eventually pay for itself.

“It won’t make any profit, but the people buying the goods will be making a real contribution.”

The food co-op is a new spin on the concept of low-cost shopping, offering people with scant resources the option of choosing low-priced goods to suit exactly how much they want to spend.

And it adds a new dimension to the local supply of economy food at a time when North Lanarkshire’s established food banks are in high demand.

North Lanarkshire Council, as Scotland’s biggest social housing landlord, is currently studying a report on the area’s food banks.

Once its findings have been debated it’s considered likely the authority will try to support efforts likely to aid people trapped in poverty.