Okay, so I’m a little bit biased. Growing up, my mom has been the general manager of two different food co-ops (one right here in Lawrence and the other a start-up in Minneapolis). For the majority of my life I have enjoyed almost exclusively organic food in my home and have had the benefits of cooperative business drilled into my head from all of the meetings and dinner conversations that I’ve listened to and sat through. And while there has been a good deal of debate in recent years as to the comparative health benefits between organic and conventional foods, one thing that cannot be denied is the great good that organic foods, and specifically cooperative food stores, have on our natural environment and the other people in our world.
Let’s start by breaking down what it means to be a cooperative. The first and arguably biggest difference between cooperatives and corporations is how member shares are dealt with. Say that you wanted to buy a share of Apple. You could totally do that and you would get one vote associated with that share. But keep in mind that there are millions of shares, and most of those shares (most of the votes) are divided among a very select group of people who make all of the decisions. In a cooperative, rather than one vote per share, it’s one vote per person, so you can own as many shares as you want (and you will get more money back than those who only own one) but you only get one vote no matter what. It’s a very democratic way of doing business.
Most businesses have a single bottom line, which is to make a profit for their shareholders. One common misperception is that cooperatives are non-profit businesses. Actually, cooperatives are for-profit businesses, but have a triple bottom line. This means that not only are they focused on making money, but they are also focused on bettering the community in which they do business and bettering the environment. Many co-ops better their communities by holding classes or seminars on various topics, stocking food that can be purchased through welfare programs, and making donations to local charities and organizations. They make a pledge to better the environment by selling foods that are grown in a way that benefits the Earth and its residents. We are going to focus on two main “classes” of food: organic and fair trade.
According to the USDA, the definition of organic is:
Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.
Some of the confusion surrounding organic foods is the use of pesticides. Many people think that organic farmers don’t use pesticides at all, but that’s not necessarily the case. In reality, organic farmers may use pesticides but only on a need basis, and they use more naturally occurring pesticides, as opposed to the big-label products used by conventional farmers. Ultimately, organic farming is better for the Earth, because there aren’t as many (or preferably any) of these harsh chemicals going into our Earth and further destroying soils and farmlands, air and water.
Next there is fair trade food. In order to get a fair trade certification from an organization like Fair Trade International (an international and well-respected certifier), the producer must meet several standards. According to the organization’s website, these standards include abiding to child labor restrictions, creating a just and equitable working environment and pay scale for employees and taking measures to keep employees safe and healthy. However, that’s just in regard to the production of the goods. Fair Trade International has standards for trade, which require that companies who trade certified fair trade products must pay enough for the product to be sustainably created and for the workers to be reasonably paid, and must pay an extra amount for the producers to invest to develop their company. If you are interested in finding out more about fair trade and Fair Trade International’s standards, check out their website at http://www.fairtrade.net/361.html!
Photo credit: http://www.quora.com/How-regulated-is-the-standard-for-fair-trade-in-cof…
One popular item to get fair trade is chocolate. Many conventional chocolate companies source their chocolate from places that utilize child labor and unjust working conditions and pay. So by purchasing fair trade, rather than conventional chocolate, you are investing in a system that betters the lives of people worldwide who are involved in the trade of that product.
Finally, there is something to be said for buying locally produced foods. Just because something is locally produced on a smaller-scale farm does not mean that it is organic, but I would argue that it is definitely an improvement over buying something from halfway across the country or the world. It’s definitely a more sustainable practice. Let’s pretend like I just bought a container of yogurt that is sold nationally, and thus most likely not produced anywhere near my home. Think about how many trucks or trains or planes and warehouse were implemented in the process of getting that yogurt from its place of origin to my local grocery store. That’s a lot of gas, a ton of power used to refrigerate the product while moving from place to place. Whereas if I shop at a store whose yogurt comes from a farm an hour and a half away, I am cutting down so much of that travel time, and therefore so much of that pollution and energy usage. Likewise, purchasing locally grown produce from cooperatives, farmer’s markets or even conventional retailers when possible both benefits those smaller-scale producers, and benefits the environment.
So as you can see, there are several benefits to shopping at food cooperatives, not just for you but also for the environment and people across the globe. Lawrence has a great food co-op called the Community Mercantile (or “The Merc”), on 9th and Iowa. But if you can’t get there, or your hometown doesn’t have a food co-op, you can still make more sustainable choices by looking out for organic, fair trade labels and locally grown foods. It might seem as though we have very little control in the scope of the world, but if we all make small choices and changes we can better our little corner. And if everyone is bettering their corner, it won’t be long until the corners collide and create global change.