Access to local food produce is set to receive a major boost with a long-term $700,000 investment to help build and expand the North East fresh food system.

The Grow Local Food North East Project, incorporating Bright and King Valley food hubs, were recipients in the latest $6.5m VicHealth Local Partnerships for Food First program grant round, which aims to strengthen local food systems with a focus on fresh, local produce over the next three and a half years.

Of the $6.5m investment, the North East project will receive $714,952 over three years.

Sustainable King Valley Food Hub, Bright Food Co-op and Corryong-based Acres and Acres Coop make up the North East project and work together in partnership to increase access to fresh, regeneratively grown local produce for communities in the region.

Sustainable King Valley Food Hub’s Jess Young said the funding would improve access to better food for locals.

“It is more than 50km to the closest supermarket; lots of people already grow their own produce – but a lot of people don’t, so we aim to connect those who grow food with those who don’t have easy access to fresh produce,” she said.

The King Valley food hub recently moved its project headquarters from the Cheshunt Hall to Whitfield, which Ms Young said enabled the hub to connect with different providers and producers in the community.

One of those connections has been the Whitfield District Primary School, who grow salad and herbs at the school and combine them with vegetables grown by local producers, packaging them to sell as veggie boxes.

“It’s so exciting as it’s already integrated into the primary school to do grow and cook vegetables which are used in the after-school program,” Ms Young said.

“We can now establish a social enterprise program so the veggie boxes can be sold, and some vegetables are used in local catering.

“It’s about embedding it with all of the things we already do in the community and ensuring they are all integrated; working with older people in the community who have skills and more time, and improving social connections and intergenerational connections.”

Part of the earnings raised from the veggie boxes goes back into the food hub and into the school’s social enterprise, which will fund a plastic recycling machine.

Eight other food hubs across the state shared in the state government initiative to establish multiple local partnerships across metropolitan and regional areas and strengthen local food systems.

Under the VicHealth program, the food hubs will work to achieve three key objectives, health, equity and sustainability with their investments.