The Estonian state will continue to support people in need with food and basic necessities, with the support of EU funds. The Ministry of Social Affairs has partnered with the supermarket chain Rimi to provide state food aid. The current system of distributing food parcels has been replaced by a cash ration card system. The distribution of food aid is co-financed by the European Union ESF. A person/family entitled to food aid is a person/family who has been paid state subsistence allowance or local authority means-tested social assistance.
Instead of a food parcel, beneficiaries will now receive a ration card, which will give them the opportunity to buy food and essentials from Rimi stores.
A person who received a food aid card from Rimi in August and/or September is entitled to a food aid card sent by Rimi at the end of October, registered post to the address of the beneficiaries on the national register:
- income support;
- social assistance dependent on the family's income or paid out of the local authority's budget to compensate for the cost of a specific service (hereafter referred to as the local authority allowance).
36 € per person per quarter will be transferred to the food aid card (from 2025 Q3, the amount per person will be 36 € per person).
One ration card is issued per family, on which the amount of the allowance for the whole household is entered.
- For recipients of income support, the amount of the benefit is calculated according to the number of household members.
- In the case of local government grants, the amount of the grant is only calculated for the beneficiary (For example, if a mother applies for a grant for her child to cover the child's expenses, the card is issued to the applicant (mother), but the amount of the grant is only entered on the card for the child.).) If the person or family received both a subsistence allowance and a municipal allowance, the amount of the benefit is calculated on the basis of the subsistence allowance which is more favourable to the person.
If you have received the above-mentioned benefits in August and/or September, but still missed out on a ration card by mistake, please contact your local authority social worker. Be sure to check that your details in the population register are correct, because if you do not live at the address in the register, the card may not be given to anyone and will be returned to Rimis.
The ration card must be kept as cash or a bank card, and if you lose it, you must immediately inform the social department of your local authority. The money on the food card does not have to be used up in one purchase. The card can be used in the same quarter until the full amount has been spent. If the amount of the purchase is greater than the amount on the card, the missing amount must be paid by personal bank card or cash. The balance can be seen on the receipt or by contacting Rimi Customer Support. klienditugi@rimibaltic.com or call +372 605 6333. Rimi customer support can identify the balance on your ration card by the number on the card.
In addition to the ration card, Rimi recommends using the Rimi loyalty card, which can be applied for free of charge at the Rimi store information desk or from the cashier. A virtual Rimi customer card can be created in the Rimi app, which can be downloaded free of charge.
The ration card is reusable, and if the person is entitled to the ration card in a subsequent period, the amount of aid will be transferred to the same card. The food aid card can be used to buy food and basic necessities, but not alcohol, tobacco products, lottery tickets or gift cards.
Recommendations for people in need:
- keep an eye on the discounts in stores and also look out for products with an orange sticker up to 50% that are about to expire. The quality of this food is also good.
- make a list of what you need to buy before you go to the shop.
- use an existing Rimi loyalty card to get the benefits of a loyalty card. If you do not have a Rimi loyalty card, you can apply for one free of charge in the form of a plastic card at the Rimi store information desk or from the cashier.
- plan your fruit and vegetable shopping for Friday, because then they are cheaper with your Rimi loyalty card -15%. To get the discount, you need to activate the coupon at the store terminal, in the Rimi app or on the website and use your loyalty card.
- plan your purchases of pastries from Rimi bakeries after 20.00, when they are -50% cheaper (except pizzas, stritzels, promotional products).
- as a Rimi customer, you can also check your personalised offers every Tuesday from the in-store terminal or the app. These are product offers based on your purchase history for your favourite products. To take advantage of the discount, you need to check the offers before you buy and use your loyalty card at the checkout.
- on Mondays for senior citizens -10% discounted purchases. If you are 63+ years old, you need to activate the coupon discount on the first occasion in the in-store terminal or in the app, and the discount will be automatically applied on Mondays when you make a purchase with a loyalty card.
- use the "Empty your fridge" app on the Rimi website. This allows you to select ingredients that are in your fridge and use them to cook without wasting food. See more
It's difficult the first time, but it certainly gets easier later.
If you have any questions, please contact Rimi Customer Support:
klienditugi@rimibaltic.com
+372 605 6333.
MON-FRI 8-21; SAT-FRI 9-20.
