Edinburgh Community Food Initiative (ECFI) works with local communities to improve health and reduce health inequalities by tackling the barriers to a healthy diet. ECFI provides access to affordable healthy food and currently supports 16 community food co-ops across the city that provide high quality low cost fruit and vegetables, backed up with a full range of health promotional activities.

As a city wide project working in areas of greatest need, the project is able to implement and inform actions relating to national and local targets and priorities around food and health.

In addition to the community lead initiatives ECFI also manages 3 major children's health projects.

Snack Attack
Snack Attack was initiated in 1999, with funding from Edinburgh City Council Education Department. It operates in all Primary Schools in Edinburgh City. Two pieces of fruit are provided free of charge to children entitled to free school meals and all others can purchase a piece of fruit at a subsidised charge of 10p per piece. P1s and P2s receive three pieces of fruit through Snack Attack operating the Scottish Executive's 'Free Fruit in Schools Initiative'. The aim is to provide free and subsidised fruit to primary school children and to encourage a life-long fruit eating habit.

The Pip Project
The Pip Project received 3 years of funding from the Big Lottery Fund from March 2004. The aim was to work with children in priority areas of Edinburgh. Pip works with 45 nurseries in Edinburgh City. The project provides over 10,000 pieces of fruit each week, including 3 free pieces for each child and 1,000 5-a-day bags sold to the parents.

The Happy Jack Project
The Happy Jack project is funded by Sure Start and works in the 12 Children and Family Centres across the city. The project supplies fruit and vegetables for consumption within the centres and gives a free 5-a-day bag to the children to take home. Full development work is also included within the project, including cooking classes for the parents of the children.