FAQs
How it works (the quick guide)
1. Create an account.
2. Choose your fruit, veg and groceries.
3. Select your delivery date.
4. Check out, then dive into our recipes!
Ordering
[helpie_faq group_id=’3762’/]
Delivery
[helpie_faq group_id=’3763’/]
Payment
[helpie_faq group_id=’3764’/]
Other
[helpie_faq group_id=’3765’/]
Most Frequently Asked Questions
[helpie_faq group_id=’3812’/]
Most common questions
Unfortunately not.
You can choose the day of delivery (Mon-Sat) but not the time. This helps us keep our fuel consumption and logistical costs to a minimum.
Our delivery hours are between 9am – 7pm, with inner city suburbs between 9am-5pm.
We send you an SMS the night before your delivery which includes:
- Approximate 2 hour delivery window
- Tracking information
Note: Do you have a side gate, key code or special instructions for our drivers? Tell us in your profile delivery instructions!
Yes, you can edit or cancel orders up until 7:00pm* the day before delivery.
*Note: some made-to-order items will show an earlier cutoff time, for example most bakery products.
How to view or edit your order:
- Login
- Click My Account > My Orders
- Click your order to reveal details
From here you can remove items, change the delivery date, address or delivery instructions, or cancel the order.
How to remove items:
- Tick the item to remove
- Press ‘Remove Item’
If you’ve already paid for your order, store credit will remain on your account. Check your account balance here.
If you opted to Pay As You Go, you won’t be charged for the item.
Contact us to refund store credit to your card.
Note: Your order total must be at least $50.00
You can add to your order up until 7:00pm* the day before delivery.
*Note: some made-to-order items will show an earlier cutoff time, for example most bakery products.
How to add items:
- Login
- Add item to your cart
- Select the same date and address as your existing order
- Checkout
You can edit your order contents up until 7:00pm* the day before delivery.
*Note: some made-to-order items will show an earlier cutoff time, for example most bakery products.
How to Remove an Item:
- Login
- Click My Account > My Orders
- Click your order to reveal details
- Tick the item to remove
- Press ‘Remove Item’
Note: Your order total must be at least $50.00.
Yes! You can send Fair Food as a gift by:
- Creating an order using your own account
- Updating the delivery address in your cart
- To add a personal message, contact us by 4pm the day before delivery – we’ll help you with the finishing touches.
- You’ll receive your receipt via email and delivery notifications via the phone number saved in your profile.
- An invoice will not be included in the delivery.
- Note: Please don’t add personal messages to the delivery instructions as they may not be seen.
Gift vouchers
Our downloadable gift vouchers are available for purchase here. Gift vouchers are valid for 3 years from the date of purchase.
Yes! Downloadable gift vouchers are available here and are valid for 3 years from the date of purchase.
Yes, we deliver to workplaces all over town!
Please be aware of our delivery hours – we cannot accommodate delivery window requests.
Metro Melbourne: 9am – 7pm
Inner-city suburbs: 9am – 5pm.
Check the map here.
A great trick for workplaces – create a recurring order to place 6 weeks of orders at one time!
Contact us with any questions or special delivery instructions.
If you are having trouble with online ordering, please feel free to call or email us and we will happily assist you as best we can.
If you have any quality issues please contact us promptly and we will happily resolve it with you. We may be able to redeliver, or provide a credit or refund.
Ordering
Order cutoff is 7pm, the day before your delivery. So if there are available delivery spots and you order before 7pm, we’ll get it to you the next day!
To make it easy, the calendar at check out will always show the next available delivery day.
Order as frequently or as infrequently as you like. You could create a recurring order, set up a future order (eg. after being away for school holidays), or just jump online whenever you need.
Yes we have a $45 minimum for all orders.
You can place up to six regular recurring orders at once, to be delivered weekly or fortnightly.
How to place a recurring order: Before adding an item to your cart, tick the “Recurring Order” checkbox below the item price. Once you “add” the item to your cart, you will get the option to choose how many orders and how frequently you want them. Repeat this for each item you add to the recurring order, and make sure the total cost of each individual order reaches the minimum order spend of $45.00.
Once you’ve checked out and paid, all of your recurring orders will appear on your profile under My Orders > Upcoming Orders. You can edit each order as you need to until midday, the day before delivery.
Our ordering and delivery system is organised around a ‘cutoff time’, which is 7pm the day before your delivery is scheduled. Prior to this deadline you can cancel all or part of your order* if need be. However we are unable to cancel orders after this time. See our Refund Policy here.
*Please note some made-to-order items will show an earlier cutoff time, for example most bakery products, and once these times have passed we are unable to accept cancellations for these items. These items are processed earlier to meet the ordering needs of our suppliers.
How to cancel an order:
You can do this through the My Orders tab on your profile. The cancelled order value or item value will be added to your Fair Food account balance as store credit. To request a refund to your card, please contact the Customer Service team.
We try to offer a great range of products with low or no gluten, as well as dairy free alternatives. However, our warehouse is not an allergy free environment and we encourage you to read the ingredients listed for each product before purchasing.
Products packaged in our warehouse may contain traces of nuts.
Organic and IPM Fruit and Veg
Organic fruit and veg is grown with environmentally sensitive practices, without harmful synthetic pesticides and chemicals.
Our range includes certified organic and biodynamic farms as well as a few small-scale growers who are not certified.
This growing practice:
- Prioritises soil health and farm biodiversity for strong, resilient plant growth.
- Values the true cost of growing high quality fruit and vegetables throughout the seasons.
When shopping, look for the leaf!
Read more about What We Deliver and Why, our Growers and Makers, or find out more about certified organic produce.
IPM stands for Integrated Pest Management, a more holistic approach to conventional farming where the wider ecological interactions on farms are considered.
This growing practice:
- Encourages and protects beneficial insect species, like ladybirds, to control insect pests and minimise chemical inputs.
- Is not organic but is less reliant on pesticides and chemical sprays.
- Offers a cost effective alternative to our organic range, with a lower environmental impact than conventional produce.
When shopping, look for the ladybird!
Read more about IPM fruit and veg or our Growers and Makers.
Organic growers do not use ethylene inhibitors/glazing agents to extend the shelf life of their produce.
- Certified organic fruit and veg is produced according to the National Standard for Organic and Bio‐Dynamic Produce. You can find detailed information about products permitted during production in the appendices, page 48-51.
- To gain and retain a certification, farmers must regularly pass laboratory testing on soils and produce to ensure they’ve adhered to the National Standard.
- Our small-scale organic growers who are uncertified do not use these products.
IPM growers may use ethylene inhibitors/glazing agents to extend the shelf life of their produce.
- We’ve selected farmers who’ve committed to more sustainable IPM farming practices, but chemical inputs are still used if/when required to manage pests.
- We’re unable to provide information on which products (if any) have been treated with ethylene inhibitors/glazing agents to extend their shelf life or which type of agents they use.
All growers (including IPM and organic) must comply with Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).
To select your own fruit and veg items, add anything you like to your cart and we’ll pack it all up together for you.
If you are choosing one of our Fruit and Veg Boxes – these are not customisable. See below for more info.
Fruit and Veg Boxes
You select the box. We select the fruit and veg. Our seasonal fruit and veg boxes are simple to shop, full of great value produce and come in various sizes and styles!
Check our What’s In The Box guide to see our selections for the week.
This guide is a good indication of what will be included in each box but contents may vary due to changes in availability.
Our Fruit and Veg Boxes cater to a range of household sizes and dietary styles, and aim to provide a rotating mix of great value seasonal produce.
Sorry, our Fruit and Veg Boxes can’t be customised.
This allows us to pack more efficiently and respond to our local grower’s availability – resulting in great value Fair Food Boxes each week.
Absolutely. Add extra items to your cart and we’ll pack it all up together for you.
Choose from our full range of Organic Fruit & Veg and IPM Fruit & Veg, as well as our full range of grocery and household essentials.
Sure can! Add anything you like to your cart and we’ll pack it all up together for you.
Choose from our full range of Organic Fruit & Veg and IPM Fruit & Veg, as well as our full range of grocery and household essentials.
Yes! You can place up to six regular recurring orders at once, to be delivered weekly or fortnightly.
How to place a recurring order: Before adding an item to your cart, tick the “Recurring Order” checkbox to the left of the item price. Once you “add” the item to your cart, you will get the option to choose how many orders and how frequently you want them. Repeat this for each item you add to the recurring order, and make sure the total cost of each individual order reaches the minimum order spend of $45.00.
Once you’ve checked out and paid, all of your recurring orders will appear on your profile under My Orders > Upcoming Orders. You can edit each order as you need to until midday, the day before delivery.
We have a selection of both Organic and IPM Boxes available. IPM Boxes may include Organic items.
Our organic fruit and veg are grown by many hands. This includes certified organic and biodynamic farmers, as well as small-scale market gardeners, urban mushroom entrepreneurs, even keepers of backyard lemon trees – all working together to create a diverse and thriving local food network.
Our newer range of IPM produce, clearly identified with our ladybird symbol, is not organic. However these fruit and veg are grown with far less reliance on chemical inputs than traditional conventional produce.
Read more about What we Deliver and Why, our Growers and Makers, or find out more about certified organic produce.
Fair Fizz
Fair Fizz cylinders are compatible with all soda makers, excluding Sodastream Quick Connect & Philips models.
Yes, we accept trade-ins.
Please note: Be sure that your machine is compatible with our cylinders before ordering a trade-in. Fair Fizz cylinders are compatible with all soda makers, excluding Sodastream Quick Connect and Philips models.
A trade-in allows you to trade another branded gas cylinder (Soda Stream, Soda King, Aark etc) for a Fair Fizz one.
We collect your trade-in cylinders and return them to the appropriate company so that they don’t end up in waste, but we don’t receive any reimbursement back for the returned cylinders.
A refill allows you to swap your empty Fair Fizz gas cylinder for a replenished one
When you place your next Fair Fizz order:
- Choose the number of refills you’d like and check out as usual.
- Leave your empty Fair Fizz cylinder out for our drivers to collect – we’ll send you a text as a reminder!
- When the delivery arrives, the driver will drop off your full cylinders and collect your empties at the same time.
If you wish to return Fair Fizz bottles without a refill, you can do so at CERES Grocery, or by contacting us to arrange collection.
Contact us as soon as possible, and we will arrange for your cylinder to be collected on your next delivery.
No. Fair Fizz does not operate within a deposit structure, so we don’t reimburse customers for returned cylinders.
Approximately 60L.
Returnable packaging
We want to reuse all our packaging as many times as we can – packaging is one of our biggest energy inputs.
You can help us make a huge difference by gently flattening your Fair Food boxes, and leave them out for our drivers to collect on their next visit.
All cooler boxes, insulated envelopes, freezer packs (that’s the water bottles) and any other cardboard boxes are all collected for reuse, so don’t forget to leave them out for us wherever your order is dropped off.
Any returned cardboard that’s worn out will be recycled.
You can find detailed information on our current packaging practices here.
Thank you!
Our very own fizzy water – without the single use plastic!
-
New Cylinder – start fresh with Fair Fizz.
-
Trade-In – swap another brand’s cylinder for Fair Fizz. Works with all soda makers (except Sodastream Quick Connect)
-
Refill – $12.95! Please leave your empty Fair Fizz cylinder out for our driver to collect on delivery day.
Get more info on Fair Fizz here.
We deliver all our refrigerated goods in our Fair Food envelopes and cooler boxes, which are packed inside our cool room and delivered cold. These include returnable frozen water bottles.
We collect our packaging for reuse, so please leave out all envelopes, cooler boxes and water bottles for us wherever your order is dropped off. Our drivers will collect them next time they visit (along with flat packed cardboard boxes!).
Your contribution helps us to provide a full range of plastic free, compostable and returnable packaging that is future focussed and used many times over. This includes our cardboard boxes, eco-cello bags and insulated coolers and pouches.
Together we can deliver fresh quality groceries with circular systems that reflect our values and vision for a fairer future.
– A $2 levy applies to every delivery.
– ‘Recurring orders’ paid upfront will include a $2 levy per delivery.
– The levy is applied to cart before delivery fees or minimum spend are calculated.
Deliveries
We deliver to households right across Melbourne, six days a week.
Use our handy postcode finder to see if we deliver to you.
We deliver Monday – Saturday
Our driver will leave your order in a safe location at your address. Please include any specific details or requests in the delivery instructions.
Refrigerated items arrive chilled in a returnable cooler box.
A confirmation text is sent once your order is delivered.
We are an entirely online delivery service. All our Fair Food groceries are delivered directly to your front door, with free delivery for all orders over $75.
Other CERES enterprises do offer real life shopping – Joe’s Market Garden have their farm-gate market every Saturday morning and the CERES Grocery and Bakery are open 7 days.
We offer free delivery for all orders $75 and over.
Our delivery fee is $8.95 for orders under $75.
A $2 packaging levy applies to every delivery.
How we prepare for high temperatures:
- We add an extra frozen bottle to our insulated coolers and pouches for days over 28°C.
- We ensure our refrigerated delivery vans are kept at their minimum possible temperature.
- On hot days, we may utilise our white broccoli boxes (we receive our broccoli in these and they’re very insulative) – please leave them out for collection, we’ll reuse them to avoid landfill waste.
What you can do:
- Can we leave your order somewhere out of the sun? Update your account with a message for our drivers.
- Be mindful of bringing your goodies inside as soon as you can. Could a friend or neighbour help if you’re not home? You’ll receive an estimated delivery window, and a delivery confirmation.
- If you anticipate an issue with a hot day approaching, consider changing the date of your delivery (easy edits can be made before 7pm the day before delivery).
- Refresh produce in a cold bath after a hot day – especially leafy veg. Leaves love to rehydrate in a sink of clean cold water before storing. Head to our Storage Guide for more info.
Payment
If your payment fails at checkout simply contact us as soon as possible and we will do our best to have your order reinstated.
Orders are finalised and payments processed at cutoff – 7pm the day before your delivery is scheduled. Once processed, your invoice will be emailed to you!
Click Pay Now to process your order in full. It’s your only option if you have a single order on your account. Pay Now can also process multiple future orders – we will charge the full amount to your credit or debit card now.
Alternatively, Pay As You Go will process your payment for the coming week only. You can choose this if you have multiple orders, are creating a recurring order, or adding to an existing order. All Pay As You Go payments are finalised at 7pm the day before delivery. You can add or delete items up until this time. Go to My Orders to edit your selection.
You can pay for your order through our secure website using a credit card or debit card.
Sorry we don’t accept AMEX, PayPal, Bank Transfer or cash.
Other
If a particular variety becomes unavailable, we’ll substitute it for something similar to be sure you’re not left without. And we’ll always notify you by email. We might need to send Nicola potatoes for Dutch Creams, for instance.
If an item becomes completely unavailable on the day (due to a farming emergency, weather event or supplier difficulty), we will credit your Fair Food account for future purchases.
Store credits are applied automatically next time you shop – they can be seen in your cart before you checkout or viewed in your profile as an account balance. All monies going in and out can be seen in your Payment History. Our store credits are instant and always ready for your next purchase but of course, we can process a refund to the bank card used for payment upon request. This can take 3-5 business days depending on your bank’s processing times.
To redeem your gift voucher, simply use the voucher code in your cart at the time of checkout.
You can use your voucher amount over multiple orders.
CERES members receive discounts at many CERES social enterprises, however we are unable to offer a further discount here at Fair Food. We work hard to provide great value groceries for all customers.
100% of our profits (yes, all of them!) are reinvested to support CERES – a place of inspiration, learning and hope for the future. CERES is a registered charity, growing organic food, restoring ecosystems, and creating spaces where people reconnect with nature and each other.
Well hello, we’re so glad you found us. Fair Food came to life in 2010 and we’re more excited than ever to do what we do. Jump over here to read more about our story!
