As cooperative directors, it's important that we know our jobs. Some parts of that job are personal to us: we bring interests, skills, and perspectives that make our contributions unique. It's our...
If you're reading this during store hours, chances are that someone at your co-op is teaching a kid about food right now. Truth be told, it's actually more difficult to avoid teaching kids about...
From my vantage point, too many dollars flow out of cooperatively owned businesses into investor-held businesses, either in the form of purchases or investments.
You and many of your co-op's members and customers have perhaps seen Food, Inc., King Corn, The Future of Food, and Supersize Me. More than any other movies released in the past decade, these...
From Maine to Florida and Bozeman to Chico, approximately 40 co-ops around the country took part in the 2010 Eat Local, America! campaign to celebrate local food and local producers. Last year...
Thanks to food co-ops for your support of the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) Howard Bowers Fund in 2010! Education and training are essential for thriving co-ops, and the Bowers...
Members of the sustainable food movement are furious and, frankly, we have a right to be. Last month's decision by the USDA to fully deregulate genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa isn't just a...
Have you had a good idea that you let percolate for a while, shaping and reshaping it in your mind? Then you run it by a few workmates, until you believe it is solid and are ready to bring to your...
Based on the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, the National Organic Program (NOP) was put into effect in October 2002. As rules go, the organic rule, fondly known as Title 7 Part 205, is...
I was extremely relieved to see a follow-up article, "‘Flexible or Flawed' Co-op Laws," in the January issue of the Cooperative Grocer making the point...
Events are accelerating. Recently, discussing the early years of many of today's food co-ops, a friend remarked how much faster things seem to be occurring. The pace of change can also reveal the...
