A friendly grocery ... and educational too

"This social grocery doesn't merely plan to distribute foods to the most destitute persons. The association SEMEE which opened it, has set up a genuine educational accompaniment for the persons who come there to buy: a volunteer helps each family in the choice and search for a food balance. And the persons only have to pay a tenth of the market price."

Arnaud Caget

We all know that, unfortunately, the cheapest foods are seldom those that offer the best nutrition. And social workers as well as health professionals find that the poorest families are also those in whom eating disorders (especially obesity) are increasingly frequent. At Mee sur Seine, in Seine-et-Marne, the association SEMEE was formed in 2009 with the aim of correcting this situation.

Accompanying a hundred families

With the help of the Veolia Foundation, SEMEE plans to open a social grocery where the families in financial difficulty can procure fresh or dry foods. Guided to this small food store by the town's social services, they will obviously find foods at affordable prices - at a tenth of the price in the other shops - as well as shopping advice. The aim is to help them diversify their purchases in order to prepare balanced meals. As soon as the store opens, the goal is to accompany a hundred families of the commune.