Fresh fruits and veggies can be expensive. How a pop-up market aims to fix that

With fresh fruits and vegetables often beyond the reach of many low-income households, a pop-up market in Montreal’s West Island is trying to fill the gap.

Corbeille de Pain offers a mobile stand that sells grocery items at reduced and affordable rates in three neighbourhoods to help shoppers struggling with food insecurity.

“This one mom with her son who came by and she told me this story about how she hadn’t ate in two days,” Ivana Riveros Orteaga, an employee with the non-profit organization, said in a recent interview.

“And so these are ridiculous stories for me. Like, that should not happen — especially in Montreal where we have the resources.”

Corbeille de Pain holds what is calls “solidarity markets” each week during the summer season to offer both fresh produce and prepared meals. Co-ordinator Jorge Flores said the sticker prices are “better than the supermarket.”

The total bill depends on what people can afford to pay. There are three options: the advertised price, the pay-what-you-can price and the pay-it-forward price. The last option gives consumers a chance to donate more money to help fund the initiative and keep costs low for their fellow citizens.

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“There is a lot of people that have low incomes in the household so the idea is to help that with the market,” Flores said.

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Robin Hill, a West Island resident, regularly shops at the solidarity markets. She uses a specialized debit card subsidized by the government and charities to help buy the necessities.

Not only does the pop-up stand give Hill affordable groceries to take home, but she also gets to enjoy shopping.

“Vegetables are so expensive in the first place, you kind of need that discount or else it’s impossible to buy it like that,” Hill said.

Food insecurity is a growing problem in West Island communities, but it is also one that affects millions of Canadians. Statistics Canada reported in April that approximately 8.7 million people — or 22.9 per cent of the population — reported some form of food insecurity in 2022, an increase of 1.8 million in a year.

Corbeille de Pain says the West Island may seem wealthy, but there are thousands of low-income residents and food deserts, which is a lack of access to healthy food options, across the area.

June Blackburn of Kingston, Ont., was among shoppers at the Pointe-Claire stand. She was happy to give more than the advertised price because the initiative is “really needed.”

“A program like this is really, really important to keep people healthy and get your vitamins and things like that,” Blackburn said.

Bill Humes also frequents the solidarity markets to get fresh food and opts for the pay-it-forward option, saying he thinks it’s a “fabulous” idea.

“I’m aware of how fortunate I am, so I just try to help out,” Humes said.

Corbeille de Pain’s solidarity markets are held weekly in the West Island until mid-October. They operate in three neighbourhoods: Pointe-Claire, Dollard-des-Ormeaux and Pierrefonds.