Fresh and affordable food in Papunya, NT

Papunya residents in the Northern Territory have welcomed an increase in affordable fresh food being made available in their community, thanks to the help of Outback Stores.

Since 1 April 2019, the Papunya Community Store has provided 10 everyday food products, including bread, milk and eggs, at significantly cheaper prices than before to its customers.

The store now receives weekly deliveries of fresh stock, rather than fortnightly delivery.

CEO of Outback Stores, Michael Borg, said it wasn’t easy to have affordable prices on fresh food items in remote community stores.

‘Small shops in the bush don’t have the buying power of the larger supermarkets in town. They have much higher transport costs and it takes longer to get stock into store,’ Mr Borg said.

‘For us it’s all about working closely with suppliers to make sure we keep costs as low as possible and pass them on to people in remote communities.’

‘We will also be working closely with the directors and the broader community over the coming months to engage more local people with employment and training as well as working on making positive changes with health and nutrition outcomes.’

Papunya Community Leader, Sammy Butcher, said the community had already noticed the change.

‘Our prices are much lower now, cheaper than other shops. People are not spending much money; it’s really good,’ Mr Butcher said.

The program is supported by the Australian Government to ensure remote Indigenous communities have access to affordable fresh food, creating healthier and happier communities across Australia.