Coronavirus: Where to find food outside of supermarkets during Covid-19 lockdown

Tuesday, 14 April 2020

ANALYSIS: Last night I did the unthinkable. I bought feijoas from the supermarket.

Anyone who's spent time in New Zealand knows feijoas are meant to come from your neighbour or your granny or your neighbour's granny.

You're not meant to pay a cent, let alone $7 a kilo, for the little green gems.

But the world's gone topsy-turvy and last night I would have sold my soul to the supermarket gods to get my hands on a bag of feijoas.

* There's nothing super about these markets that are taking our money overseas

Supermarkets might be convenient but they're not the only option during lockdown.

* Coronavirus: Kiwis urged to eat more avocado after industry takes Covid-19 hit**

In the cold light of day I pondered whether, even though my local Countdown was convenient, there might've been a better way to source not only the feijoas but the rest of my weekly shop.

And it turns out there are several options which, with a bit of planning, can not only keep shoppers safe inside their bubbles but also throw a lifeline to local businesses in desperate need of support.

Independent butchers, seafood suppliers etc

New Zealand's small businesses are reeling from the impact of the coronavirus lockdown, with most forced to close their physical stores.

For those with an established online presence, delivery of essential products could continue. The rest either went into complete hibernation or scrambled to set up web- or phone-based ordering systems.

That's led to a surge in the number of butchers, greengrocers, seafood retailers and other suppliers offering home delivery.

Regular small business shoppers will know their prices are often competitive with, or better than, those of supermarkets and most offer same or next day delivery.

Many will also reduce or wipe delivery fees if you spend over a certain amount.

If your favourite local retailer hasn't jumped on the home delivery bandwagon, read on.

delivereat.co.nz

With a bit of planning, shoppers can avoid the supermarket queues, stay safe in their bubbles and support local businesses.

Not to be confused with meal delivery service Delivereasy, which is temporarily out of action, Delivereat is an independent directory of Kiwi businesses delivering during lockdown.

It's growing by the day and as of Tuesday, lists 696 businesses offering everything from fruit and vegetables to baked goods, seafood and hygiene products – yes, you can get toilet paper delivered.

They've also got your furry friends covered, with dozens of options for pet food.

All the businesses listed meet the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's essential services criteria.

Food boxes and meal kits

Popular pre-lockdown, surging demand for meal kits put companies like My Food Bag and HelloFresh under pressure as shoppers panicked in the early days of level four restrictions.

Things have since settled and, as well as continuing to operate as normal, My Food Bag has launched a 'Back-Up Food Bag'.

According to its website, the bag – more accurately a box – contains long life, shelf-stable ingredients to provide breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for two adults for up to a week.

There are also several options for cooks who like to create their own menu, rather than follow a meal plan.

Services like Food Box provide fresh fruit and vegetables as well as meat, milk and eggs, while the likes of Fruit Guys and Fruit Direct deliver fruit and vege boxes nationwide.

Online farmers markets

Traditional farmers markets are on ice during lockdown but several are working to keep thier stallholders in business.

The Waikato, Hawke's Bay and Clevedon farmers markets are just some of those offering delivery or contact details for stallholders able to deliver.

Check your local market's website or, if you're new to the whole business, visit farmersmarkets.org.nz to find one near you.

There's also Maker2u, a purely online market launched last month to support artisan food and beverage producers.

Created by Canterbury couple Hamish and Suzy Hutton, the market has 220 stores from small producers of food, drinks and other goods.

Shoppers buy direct from the maker and goods are sent by courier.

Online supermarket

If you really just want a one-stop shop without the queues, wholesaler Bidfood has launched a home delivery service.

The company is a major provider to the food service industry with 15,000 customers nationwide.

It's new service, BidfoodHome, will deliver food, drinks and kitchen supplies to your door, as long as you spend a minimum of $200 .

The service launched in Auckland last month but is quickly rolling out nationwide. Check the Bidfood website to see if it's available in your area.

Recently, Service Foods, a supplier for restaurants around the country, launched Service Foods Home with bulk pantry staples like flour for sale - but only in Auckland for the moment.