Todd Irvine was inspired by his daughter to start the junior shopper’s program at Ziggy’s Fresh. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Ziggy’s Fresh at the Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets has been recognised by ACT Health’s Healthy Choices for its junior shopper’s program aimed at encouraging a love of fresh fruits and vegetables from an early age.
Third generation greengrocer Todd Irvine spent his childhood in his parents’ fruit and veg shop in Young and had a passion for fresh produce from an early age. His parents Ken and Toni Irvine moved to Canberra in 2002 and took over Ziggy’s Fresh in Belconnen in 2003, after running their own stores in Young, Cootamundra and Wagga Wagga.
“Mum and Dad have always been involved in fruit and veg, so I grew up around it and always loved it,” Todd told Region.
“I wanted to find ways to instil that same passion in my daughter Ella.”
Todd’s dad Ken Irvine at family run Ziggy’s Fresh. Photo: Ben Calvert.
The result is the Ziggy’s Junior Shopper’s program with tiny trolleys suitable for toddler shoppers, along with take-home colouring in sheets, balloons, and child-sized jute bags. There’s also always fresh fruit available for kids to snack on while they shop.
“We noticed that kids would be saying ‘I want an apple now!’ but they’re not necessarily going to have the same response when they get home. So we wanted to give them something to snack on while their parents do the shop.”
Kids are encouraged to correctly colour in and identify the different fruits and vegetables on the colouring in sheets, as well as fill up their trolley with different items from the family’s weekly shop. Todd explained that allowing kids to participate in the process made them feel more involved and gave them a positive experience. He said he’d noticed his daughter was more interested in trying new things.
“Since we got the trolleys, she’s excited to grab different fruits and give them a try,” he said.
“If you get started early it’s very easy to set those positive habits, but it can be really challenging to change those bad habits later.”
Ziggy’s Fresh Junior Shopper’s program is a hit with the littlies. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Healthier Choices Canberra is run by ACT Health to help Canberrans eat well by supporting the availability and promotion of healthy food and drink options. The Healthier Choices Canberra page encourages businesses to take a Fruit ’n’ Veg Pledge to make it easier for Canberrans to find healthier food options. There are also resources on healthy snacks and the importance of hydration for kids playing sport, as well as resources for schools on healthy eating.
Todd said Ziggy’s was also looking at more ways to engage kids in healthy eating. He said that when he was at school, his parents hosted classmates for store visits to learn more about fruits and vegetables, which was an option for the future.
They’ve also been sharing nutritional facts on their social media pages (did you know a golden kiwi contains three times the vitamin C of an orange?).
Ziggy’s Fresh is located in the Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets. Follow Ziggy’s Fresh on Instagram to find out more about their junior shoppers program.
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