You Are What You Eat; The Benefits of Food Co-ops

You Are What You Eat; The Benefits of Food Co-ops https://www.facebook.com/OshkoshFood?fref=ts Everyone has heard the cliché ‘you are what you eat’. Most of us don’t consider how true this actually is. Food is food right? It is all the same anyways so it must not matter where it is coming from or what is actually being eaten. Wrong and, you guessed it, wrong again. I will not go into what people are eating (that is a whole other debate) but I really think we as consumers need to re-consider how and where we buy our food. It makes a difference, not only in the health of our bodies, but for the local economy and (dare I say it?) the environment as well. There is this big stigma that doing what is ‘right’ for the environment is painful, inconvenient, and just a plain old hassle. Take buying groceries for instance. It is so much easier to drive to the conventional grocery store and buy their food. True, you may not know where it is coming from, how safe it actually is, or that all of the money you spend is not helping the local economy out in any way, but those are not really that big of issues in the first place, right? What if there was a way to solve all of these problems without actually giving up going to a grocery store? Cue food co-ops. For those who do not know what a food co-op is, it is actually a rather simple concept.   A food cooperative (food co-op) is basically the local version of a grocery store. Instead of a big company, it is run by shareholders and members from the local community. The produce sold at co-ops is generally the same as what would be found in a conventional grocery store, but member owners assess the needs of their community and can offer alternative products. This materializes into more local, natural, and organic food options and variety; it also keeps the focus on the consumer’s needs and wants. Thinking of the big picture, a food co-op keeps money circulating in the local economy since the produce is coming from local sources and the employees are all from the area as well. So a food co-op is a pretty good idea and all, but how does that apply to a college student? Well, a great example is the food co-op that is in the works for Oshkosh, Wisconsin. I recently interviewed fellow student Bridgette Weber from UW-Oshkosh, who has done a fantastic job getting involved in her local community. She has helped get plans underway for a food co-op to hopefully be set in place in the downtown Oshkosh area. This specific co-op, Weber told me, is a not-for-profit (not to be confused with a non-profit). Every member will be an owner of the co-op, which means they get to help make decisions regarding the co-op (they also get to participate in things such as member only sales). It is not necessary to be a member to shop there however, which is great for those who may not have the money to be a member, but would still like to buy their food locally. As far as pricing goes, the co-op wants to keep it as affordable as possible. Remember they are a NOT-for-profit business, but consumers also have to come to terms with the real price of food (which is often different from what is paid at the grocery store). In addition, EBT and WIC would be accepted at the co-op so it’s available for all people. Oh, and one more great thing, at least for Oshkosh, with a co-op near downtown, it right next to campus and therefore closer than the grocery store. On top of the other benefits, it makes it that much more accessible. All things considered, a person is not just what they eat; they are the community in which they are involved in. It is fantastic to have good food at affordable prices, but it’s even better when that food connects people to their local communities. Food is something that everyone has in common, and that’s a pretty dang good thing. As for me, I cannot wait for Oshkosh to get their food co-op set up; it will be exciting to be connected to my local economy and community. For more information about the Oshkosh Food Co-op and ways to get involved the email is Oshkoshfoodcoop@gmail.com. They can also be reached on Facebook at www.facebook.com/oshkoshfood, though joining the email list is the most direct way to get involved.  Internships are offered according to skill set, and volunteers are always welcome. For more information about food co-ops in other places, check out websites such as http://www.localharvest.org/food-coops/ and http://www.coopdirectory.org/directory.htm. They are great resources for finding a co-op no matter where you are.  Consumers deserve the best product at the best price while making responsible and conscious choices about how their decisions will impact others around them. Buying good food from a local food co-op is just the beginning. Eat well, friends.