New phase of ‘Transform Your Trolley’ programme by safefood announced for Derry

The project aims to support over 1,000 families and individuals across the region by improving their food shopping habits by replacing fatty and sugary foods with healthy, balanced meals.

'Transform Your Trolley' will be coordinated by the Old Library Trust and delivered across 12 regional Healthy Living Centres in 2023 with a target of expanding to 29 Healthy Living Centres by the end of the three-year programme. The programme will work closely with local Health & Social Care Trusts to deliver interactive workshops and initiatives designed to benefit families, older individuals living alone, and single males.

It will provide practical support in areas such as creating a balanced shopping list, meal planning, how to eat well on a budget, how to cook basic nutritious meals, making use of leftovers, and food safety and hygiene.

Launching the new three-year 'Transform Your Trolley' programme, Joana da Silva, expert in Human Health and Nutrition at safefood: “We’re delighted to continue our partnership with the Healthy Living Centre Alliance by moving from the pilot phase to a new three-year phase of our hugely successful 'Transform Your Trolley' programme.

“The programme has already made a significant impact. All participants in the initial pilot programme reported that it has changed the way they will plan and shop for food in the future, with 99% of participants feeling it had positively influenced the way they and their family will eat in the future.

“After the pilot programme, there was an increase in the number of people who reported comparing nutrition labels when out shopping. There was also an increase in home cooking with more people preparing homemade meals more often. More people also stated that they were getting five servings of fruit and vegetables per day 'most of the time' and 'just about every day'.

“Together with the Healthy Living Centre Alliance, we're excited to expand our reach and engage even more households and communities over the next three years aimed at increasing knowledge around meal planning, teaching healthier food shopping and enhancing basic cooking skills.”

Tony Doherty, Regional Coordinator at the Healthy Living Centre Alliance said: “We're thrilled to embark on another exciting phase of safefood’s ‘Transform your Trolley’ programme and we'll be working closely with local Health & Social Care Trusts and partnering with community organisations to ensure that the programme reaches even more households over the next three years."

“Through a combination of community support programme and events, our focus is on providing families and individuals with the knowledge and tools they need to make informed, healthier choices to their weekly food shop.”