How many food coops

Find a map of NCG member co-ops. To learn more about co-ops, visit www. Media inquiries may be directed to Eric Davis eric harvest-pr. Skip to main content. Enter your keywords. Apr 22, Making Food More Affordable The report also highlights the strength of cooperation when it comes to food affordability. Many cooperative supermarkets began as small buying clubs and developed into storefront cooperatives as membership increased. The first consumer food cooperative in California was formed in in San Francisco.

Although the modest daily sales were financially sound, the store lasted only a short time. In the s there was a burst of cooperative activity throughout the United States in response to the Great Depression. In California, the Berkeley food cooperative was formed in Although the closure of the Berkeley food cooperative was a setback for the consumer cooperative movement, many other food cooperatives in California are thriving and expanding; most have been formed within the last 40 years.

In addition to traditional economic benefits associated with cooperative food purchasing, these cooperatives often emphasize nutritional quality, production and distribution alternatives such as organic lines and free trade, and emphasize offering information and education so that consumers can make informed choices.

Members of food cooperatives democratically elect a board of directors who make policy decisions about the cooperative. Most cooperative markets hire a manager to oversee the day-today administration of the store. Sometimes cooperatives offer price discounts for members who contribute volunteer time to the cooperative.

In addition to storefront food cooperatives, there are numerous buying clubs in California. In this model, households join together to buy food in bulk to take advantage of quantity discounts and to obtain a range of foods not available locally. Buying clubs are generally run on a volunteer basis by members, with a majority of members volunteering time. Site designed by Triangle Park Creative. Designed and built by Triangle Park Creative , Food Co-ops.

Group General Info The member-owners of food cooperatives are typically consumers, however some are worker-owned or share decision making among both workers and consumers. Coontz, E. Getty Images. Hide comments. More information about text formats. Text format Comments Plain text. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. Leave this field blank. Monitor: Natural retailers can lead the conversation around climate and food production.

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