MARCH/APRIL 2009
www.flatbushfoodcoop.com
FRESH, ORGANIC PRODUCE: SMART CHOICE
C
ustomers are greeted by a colorful array of
fresh organic produce upon entering the
Flatbush Food Coop (FFC). At first glance,
the neatly stacked baskets of fruits and vegetables
appear to be the typical “garden variety,” but a closer
look reveals extensive choices and unexpected
options like kumquats, star fruit, and baby yellow
carrots. Such leafy greens as kale, chicory, and
radicchio can be purchased individually, while prepackaged selections, including mixed lettuce and
alfalfa sprout salads, are available across the aisle.
These and other produce, like sweet potatoes, fresh
herbs, ginger root,
bell and hot peppers,
and tropical fruit,
reflect
the
ethnic
diversity of the FFC
community. Whether
trying to create a
new dish or revive an
old family recipe,
shoppers can find
ingredients to prepare meals that span
world regions.
All of the produce is organic, an important factor
since much of it is served uncooked. As much as
ninety-seven percent of popular produce, like apples,
celery, and peaches, were found to contain pesticides
when tested according to recent consumer reports
and analysis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Spring into Exercise
Spring is here and it is time to get moving. Just as
our bodies do not react well to a poor diet of
processed, adulterated food, they do not respond
well to a sedentary lifestyle. In my practice, many
Shopping
for
organic
produce
provides
an
opportunity to support local farmers who utilize
sustainable practices that preserve soil and eliminate
pesticides. Also, the increased variety of produce on
the market has been attributed to organic and family
farms, even though they are generally smaller than
factory farms.
FFC partners with co-ops like Pennsylvania’s
Lancaster Farm Fresh and Finger Lakes Organic
Growers, located in Rose, New York, to provide fresh
produce from more than 60 local farms. Produce
department manager, Arif, assures that customers
can look forward to almost all of their spring and
summer vegetables being supplied six days a week
from organic distributors in the tri-state area and
other nearby east coast locations. He explains that
this is also a priority throughout the colder seasons
and that local products are always selected to the
extent possible. Other produce arrives several times
a week from the west coast, Mexico, and South
America, and even as far as South Africa.
FFC offers opportunities to save on organic produce
by putting multiple items on special each week, with
prices sometimes dipping below the market value for
non-organic goods. Natural products to extend the
freshness of these perishables are also available
within the produce department, further stretching
purchasers’ dollars. Shoppers can look forward to
learning more about our organic produce and where
it comes from through visits from suppliers in the
coming months.
people complain of pain and discomfort in their
necks, shoulders, backs, legs, hips and knees. When
I inquire about their level of activity, more often than
not I find that it is virtually non-existent.
Unfortunately, there are always excuses
Continued on bac k p age
Coop News
Board President ’s Letter
As the nation reels from our current economic crisis, there is one reassuring sign out there. The cooperative
model is holding strong. While banks fail, cooperative credit unions are remaining stable. Credit is flowing
as freely today as it was a year ago. It is easy to blame the economic storm of 2008 on greed, deregulation
and predatory lending. But as Paul Hazen, President and CEO of the National Cooperative Business
Association wrote recently, that would be too simplistic. We need to recognize, he points out, that we are
witnessing the failure of our high-risk, profit-first model. It is the nature of the beast.
In fact, this is a good time to recognize what makes co-ops like the Flatbush Food Coop different. We can
begin, as Hazen points out, by understanding that the Wall Street crash was driven by investor-owned
businesses, pressured by investors beckoning for higher returns. This business model places the highest
value on profit and keeping investors happy. After all, if they flee en mass, it can bankrupt the business.
Investor-owned businesses can also find that their employees’ or consumers’ interests are at odds with those
of the investors. That executives often hold large amounts of company stock creates an even deeper conflict
of interest. Unfortunately, as the subprime mortgage crisis revealed, higher ups are often just making the
decisions that boost their own portfolios.
So, while our high-risk Wall Street model made our country affluent, it also left us vulnerable. If we then ask,
what sort of business model could have averted the crisis, the answer is simple. We need to invest in more
cooperatives. It’s time to remember how cooperatives are distinct from investor-owned businesses. Co-op
members actually own an equal share of the business. There are no majority shareholders or single owners
and fluctuations on Wall Street exert only an indirect influence on business.
Co-ops include Fortune-500 businesses such as Land O’Lakes, the Federal Home Loan Banks, Sunkist and
the Associated Press. According to a vast, USDA-funded study at the University of Wisconsin, co-ops hold
over $1 trillion in assets and have over 125 million members. Food co-ops, housing co-ops, purchasing coops (buyers that come together to leverage economies of scale) are all thriving in recent years. Just as the
last Great Depression brought a surge in credit unions that helped stabilize the economy, experts agree that
credit unions will most likely see a similar surge in the near future. But cooperatives of all kinds can help
stabilize an economy in turmoil.
So go ahead and tell your friends that as a member of the Flatbush Food Coop, you are supporting a model
that can help Americans regain trust in each other and in the economy. We think that is something to be
proud of.
Jan Andrew
COST CUTTING FOOD TIPS By Denise Garrett, FFC Member
In this tough economic environment, it is crucial that families maintain their commitment to
healthy eating. Here are a few suggestions to guide you in this endeavor:
1) Create simpler, nutritious meals by using less ingredients (e.g. vegetable soup)
2) Choose low-cost foods. Here are some examples and their approximate price:
• Oats- 7 cents per serving
• Black beans- 8 cents per serving
• Brown rice- 17 cents per serving
• Bananas- 23 cents each
• Apples- 36 cents each
• Sweet potatoes- 49 cents each
3) One can of tuna can make at least three different meals:
• Add pasta, veggies and dressing for a pasta salad
• Choose different ingredients without the pasta and dressing (dieters)
• Create a Mediterranean style salad by adding olives, capers, and chopped tomatoes.
Additional advice: Do not go food shopping without a thoughtful, pre-made list or while hungry.
1415 Cortelyou Road Brooklyn, NY 11226
Flatbush Food Coop
718-284-9717
Coop News
Coop Profile: WEAVERS WAY FOOD CO-OP
Weavers Way Food Co-op opened in 1973, in what
had been Sid’s Delicatessen on Carpenter Lane in
the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia. The
store could hold only six shoppers at a time, and
customers had to go next door to pay for their
groceries. From these small beginnings, Weavers
Way has grown into a multi-faceted operation with a
membership of 3,500 households, representing
approximately 5,500 people, and it generates more
than $8M in sales each year. In addition to its
original store, which occupies expanded space on
Carpenter Lane, the co-op recently opened a small
store in the under-served Ogontz/West Oak
Lane neighborhood in the Northwest section of
Philadelphia, which primarily sells produce. It is
now set to open a third store in the fall of 2009 in a
location with 6,700 square feet of retail space and
off-street parking in the Chestnut Hill community.
A unique feature of Weavers Way is that it has its
own two-acre farm, located at Awbury Arboretum in
Germantown, within 1! miles of its store. A range of
produce-- from spicy greens and bokchoy to
blackberries, scallions and radishes-- is grown in
succession in densely planted beds and then sold at
the co-op and at local stands. Started as a tribute to
a longtime co-op member, the farm has expanded its
production, generating $70,000 in sales last year, as
well as its educational mission.
Students from
many area schools have visited the farm to help with
planting, weeding, harvesting, and to learn about
where healthy food comes from. Farm educator
David Siller also runs a small urban farm and
greenhouse at a local high school, and there are
plans for the farm to collaborate on a high schoolbased CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)
program at an agricultural high school in the area.
In early 2007, the co-op created Weavers Way
Community Programs, a 501(c) 3 non-profit under
the umbrella of Mt. Airy Community Services
Corporation, to facilitate the growth of its
community enrichment activities. In addition to the
farm, these programs include a variety of
environmental initiatives and the innovative
Marketplace Program, a partnership with nine local
schools in which students buy healthy, locallyproduced goods at cost from the co-op, then
package, price and sell them to students and
teachers. Participants learn about business,
nutrition, and the importance of locally grown food
and, at the end of the year, are able to donate their
profits to charities of their choice.
DISTRIBUTOR PROFILE: FRONTIER NATURAL PRODUCTS CO-OP
The tidy green-capped bottles of the Frontier brand
and its Simply Organic line are familiar to those
shopping for herbs and spices in the baking aisle at
FFC. Others may be more acquainted with the
company’s Aura Cacia botanicals from the health
and beauty aids section, or purchase its select
ingredients in the bulk foods and produce
departments. Frontier supplies FFC with more than
one
hundred
culinary
accents,
including several varieties of peppers
and dried ingredients.
FFC is a
member
of
this
cooperative
organization together with many
other co-ops across the country.
Established in 1976, the same year
as FFC, Frontier has been an
industry leader in providing natural culinary and
personal care products. Initially, this Iowa-based
group consisted of two persons working solely with
local cooperatives as a wholesaler committed to
organic agriculture and social responsibility. Within
ten years, it became one of America’s fastest growing
companies and the first manufacturer in the natural
products industry to be certified as an organic
processor.
Frontier’s commitment to offering a large selection of
sustainable, high quality products has fueled its
growth as a national distributor of rare herbs and
1415 Cortelyou Road Brooklyn, NY 11226
spices. In 1995, its product lines grew to include
aromatherapy and personal care items under the
Aura Cacia brand, a decision that brought organic
essential oils to the marketplace. Newer products in
response to market demand include pre-mixed food
ingredients and fair trade loose-leaf teas. Frontier
now operates an 86,000 square foot eco-friendly
facility in Norway, Iowa, with an in-house qualitytesting lab where every product batch
is sampled. Fifty acres of preserved
land, including a botanical garden,
adjoin the site.
Frontier recently established its Well
Earth
ethical
and
sustainable
sourcing program to identify and
partner with producers and growers
around the world that make a commitment to
worker
safety,
fair
treatment,
sustainable
production practices, a positive environmental,
social, and community impact, and product safety
and quality. Frontier expects to have 15 certified
suppliers by the end of 2009. Having long expanded
its clientele to include national chains and
mainstream supermarkets, Frontier made record
sales last year. A portion of the Simply Organic
line’s sales is donated to supporting organic
agriculture and education. Frontier’s mission – “To
convert the world to natural and organic products.”
-
Flatbush Food Coop
718-284-9717
Coop News
Exercise (Continued)
Upcoming Events
including: “I don’t have time… it hurts too much…I
can’t afford the gym…the weather is not right
outside…my treadmill broke…I’m too tired when I
get home…” and the list goes on.
Thursday Movie Nights
Life is movement-- we are meant to use our bodies-and the benefits are endless. It is beautiful to watch
children play, as they run, jump, dance, climb and
wrestle, and to see the joy generated from all this
activity. It is time for you to start playing and
moving. Find an activity that you are capable of and
would enjoy doing from the list below:
Easy: walking * bowling * golf * yoga * Pilates * slow
dancing *canoeing * chair exercise * tai chi * qigong
Moderate: gardening * baseball * hiking * jogging *
rowing * swimming * racquet sports (doubles) *
downhill skiing * skating * volleyball * wrestling * low
impact aerobics
Advanced: running * biking * backpacking * martial
arts * stair climbers * elliptical trainer * jumping
rope * racquet sports (singles) * kick boxing * soccer
* weight lifting * high impact aerobics
You can engage in these activities in various places
including the gym, in the park, at home, in
continuing education facilities, outside and inside.
They can be done by yourself, with friends, your
partner, children, in a class or viewed on a DVD.
The options are plentiful…so start moving! You’ll
feel better, look better, and make yourself healthier.
Before beginning an exercise program, make sure
you consult your health care practitioner.
By Dr. Leslie Dreifus, Diplomate American
Chiropractic Board of Sports Practitioners
FFC Board member, Dr. Leslie Dreifus, is a
chiropractor at 1201 Avenue J and can be reached at
718-377-6363 if you have any questions on exercise
or other health issues.
Contributors
Everything’s Cool:
Thursday, March 26th, 7:15 p.m.
EVERYTHING'S COOL: a film about America finally
"getting" global warming in the wake of the most
dangerous chasm ever to emerge between scientific
understanding and political action. As much about
messaging as it is about the messengers, as much
about human nature as it is about humans' impact
on nature, Everything's Cool explores what it will
take to move America from laggard nation to world
leader on global warming.
April 17th marks our first anniversary in our new
store. Look for special deals and savings as we
celebrate!
Flatbush Food Coop Values
A De m ocr ati c Str u ct ure
We embrace a cooperative culture that includes
ownership and opportunities for participation by our
members, a work environment that involves and
empowers our employees, and a positive, respectful
shopping environment.
Co m m uni ty
We value and seek to build our cooperative
community of staff, members, and shoppers,
embracing the diverse community where we are
located and supporting and aligning ourselves with
the global cooperative community.
So cia lly R es po nsib le, E nvir o nm en ta lly
So u n d Pr acti ces
We support sustainable agriculture, the
consumption and use of organic products, and the
fair and ethical treatment of workers in the
production process.
Marc Anatol, FFC Member
Deborah Parkinson-Anatol, FFC Member
Gill Smith, Board Member
Disclaimer
The views expressed in these newsletter articles
represent those of the individual authors and do
not necessarily represent the views of the
Flatbush Food Cooperative.
1415 Cortelyou Road Brooklyn, NY 11226
Enjoy FREE movies and
popcorn (other refreshments for
sale) at the Coop’s office: 380
Rugby Road, (office space next
door to Johns’ Bakery, between
Cortelyou and Dorchester)
Limited seating: First Come, First
Served
Edu ca tio n
We seek to educate ourselves and the broader
community about cooperation, health, nutrition,
and environmental issues.
Flatbush Food Coop
718-284-9717