Planet Card: Celebrating the Pilot
The Planet Card pilot has now come to an end.
Planet Card was created to make organic and planet-friendly fruit and vegetables more affordable for people experiencing a low income in Cardiff. Members received £11 of weekly credit to spend directly with participating growers at Riverside and Roath Farmers Markets.
The Cardiff pilot formed part of Bridging the Gap, a UK-wide programme led by Sustain. It was developed and coordinated locally by Food Cardiff in partnership with Cardiff Farmers Markets, participating growers, members of the community and Cardiff University.
What Planet Card achieved
The pilot showed that helping people access good-quality, sustainably grown fruit and vegetables can create benefits that extend far beyond the food itself.
During the project:
120 households participated
£19,000 in Planet Card credit was spent directly with local growers
members made an estimated 1,744 visits to Cardiff Farmers Markets
participants reported healthier eating habits, greater confidence in preparing fresh food and a stronger sense of community
the project supported local farmers producing climate and nature-friendly food
The independent evaluation also found that participants increased their fruit and vegetable consumption and ate sugary and processed foods less frequently. Regular visits to the markets helped members build relationships with growers, learn more about seasonal produce and feel more connected to their local community.
The legacy of Planet Card
Although the pilot has finished, the evidence it generated will continue to be valuable.
Planet Card demonstrated how subsidising sustainably grown fruit and vegetables can improve access to healthier food while supporting farmers, strengthening local communities and benefiting the environment.
We hope the learning from the pilot will help make the case for similar initiatives in Cardiff, across Wales and throughout the UK.
Thank you
We would like to thank Sustain for leading the wider Bridging the Gap programme and Food Cardiff for involving Cardiff Farmers Markets in the development and delivery of the Planet Card pilot.
Our thanks also go to the participating growers who welcomed Planet Card members to their stalls, and to everyone who took part in the pilot. The experiences and feedback shared by members were essential to understanding the project’s impact and developing its recommendations for the future.
Read the final reports
Planet Card 2023–2025: How public funds can build community wealth
An overview of the Planet Card journey, its impact and its potential to inform future food policy.
Planet Card: Good Food for All
The independent evaluation by Cardiff University Business School, exploring members’ experiences, the wider benefits of the pilot and recommendations for the future.
