Co-op response regarding Salsa So Fresh: Product Selection at the Olympia Food Co-op

author : Grace Cox topic : Olympia Food Coop

by Grace Cox,

Co-op staff collective member

Product selection at the Co-op is guided by two articulated values statements. First, the Co-op mission statement gives the following mandates:

MISSION

The purpose of the Cooperative is to contribute to the health and well-being of people by providing wholesome foods and other goods and services, accessible to all, through a locally-oriented, collectively managed, not-for-profit cooperative organization that relies on consensus decision making. We strive to make human effects on the earth and its inhabitants positive and renewing and to encourage economic and social justice. Our goals are to:

A. Provide information about food;

B. Make good food accessible to more people;

C. Support efforts to increase democratic process;

D. Support efforts to foster a socially and economically egalitarian society;

E. Provide information about collective process and consensus decision making;

F. Support local production;

G. See to the long term health of the business;

H. Assist in the development of local community resources.

The second document is called the Product Selection Guidelines. As this document is 3.5 pages long, I have excerpted the sections which I believe are most relevant to Salsa So Fresh and World Vision. The full text of this document can be found on the Co-op web-page: olympiafood.coop. (From the home page click product information, then select product selection guidelines.)

Food Politics/Boycotts:

Co-op members are concerned about a wide range of world-wide political issues. At the same time, large corporations have been buying into the natural foods industry at an alarming rate. Whenever possible, the Co-op will prioritize products produced and distributed by companies whose politics and procedures are in harmony with our Mission Statement and Goals. When a company is in clear contradiction to our Mission Statement we will make every effort to find alternative sources for their products. For products which are being boycotted, please see the boycott policy.

Packaging Considerations

The Co-op will not carry products whose retail packaging is deemed exploitive or oppressive. Such determination may be made by the department manager, the merchandising team or the staff as a whole. Packaging may be considered exploitive or oppressive if the graphics, narrative or product name use or promote harmful stereotypes based on sex, race, sexual orientation, physical ability, looks, class, education, politics, religion, national origin or species.

Local, Collective & Co-op Businesses:

The Co-op supports other local, collective and/or cooperative businesses through the purchasing and promotion of their products when appropriate. In some instances, the co-op may refrain from carrying certain products or product lines in order to not compete with other small local retailers.

As you can probably see, the Co-op staff is called upon daily to fulfill mandates that, on occasion, come into conflict with each other. If Salsa So Fresh was not a small, local producer we would be required to consider only the issues of food politics, social & economic equality and veracity in packaging. But they are a small, local producer, and in surveys, member meetings and forums, support for local production has always been rated very highly by Co-op members.

As one of the co-op staff members who has done extensive research on World Vision, I acknowledge that I have not been as prompt to respond as I should have been. The door is by no means shut on this issue, and I particularly appreciate additional member and customer input as we struggle to find the right balance between supporting universal social justice and local production. I fully concur with Austin's comments about the need to expand member involvement in product selection, and am eager to consider ideas for ways to put this into practice.