A PIONEERING food co-operative has been launched in Cockfield.
It is the first of its type in County Durham and allows people to buy bags of fruit and vegetables at affordable prices.
The bags cost £2 each and the produce comes from local growers and suppliers.
It is hoped the project will encourage people to eat five pieces of fresh fruit or vegetables a day.
Brian Thistlethwaite, project manager for the Rural Regeneration Unit, said: "If this is successful we hope to roll it out across Teesdale.
"We have done comparisons with supermarkets on the prices of vegetables, and in some cases the difference has been £3 to £7, so people are getting a really good deal."
The food co-op is based on a model used in Cumbria, where 37 food co-operatives are providing fruit and vegetables for more than 6,000 people.
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