Consumers With a Conscience: The Evolution of Food Co-ops

Guest Blog by UAA Dietetics Student, Victoria Tucker

44 Toad Lane. Rochdale, England.
Photo courtesy of Rockdale Pioneers Museum

Food co-ops have their roots in the 19th century when in response to economic displacement, and price-gouging experienced by skilled craftsmen during the Industrial Revolution, a group of twenty-eight individuals took action. By pooling their resources, the members of the newly formed Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers established a store where people could buy goods and unadulterated food. Guided by principles of democratic owner-membership, equitable profit sharing, and offering goods at fair prices, the shop opened on December 21, 1844, with a limited stock of 28 pounds of butter, 672 pounds of flour, 56 pounds of sugar, a sack of oatmeal, and tallow candles. By the end of the first year membership would grow to eighty, and the society would soon earn enough capital to purchase tracts of land to rent to unemployed members for farming.

During the Great Depression, numerous “self-help” food cooperatives emerged nationwide, in response to high unemployment. Co-op members could barter labor with local farmers for a share in the harvest. By 1934 there were 14,000 cooperative members in Los Angeles County alone. The Huntington Park Cooperative harvested more than 27,000 pounds of produce from vacant land in one quarter of 1936.

Some African American communities established cooperatives as a means of fostering economic self-sufficiency. In 1934 Harlem Pure Food Co-operative Grocery Store was owned by 350 families. It eventually became so successful that it put the local A&P out of business.

Over time food cooperatives became increasingly popular, even facing resistance from established businesses, particularly monopolies or large grocery corporations who labeled them as subversive, or un-American. Yet, co-ops had gained a permanent foothold in the nation, and by the 1950s, a fourth of the population of San Fransico were members of the Berkeley Co-op, the second-largest cooperative in the country.

The counter-culture movement of the 1960s saw consumers trend increasingly toward ethical considerations in fair trade, environmental sustainability, organic, locally sourced food, and social justice. By the 1980s, food co-ops had taken on a more structured and organized business model with elected boards of directors who oversaw the cooperative's activities and policies.

Today, food cooperatives continue to follow the Rochdale principles of owner-membership, democratic member control, member economic participation, and concern for the community. Many actively contribute to promoting community food security through initiatives like the “round-up to the nearest dollar” program.

Co-op Market Grocery and Deli, situated in Fairbanks, Alaska, is among the three grocery cooperatives in the state with more than 4,800 vested members to date. Member ownership costs $200 per individual or household. Their “round-up” program generates approximately $2,000 per month, which goes towards supporting local non-profit organizations. One thing is certain, shoppers can be assured that their charitable contributions remain local.

If anyone is interested in starting their own food co-op there are a number of free resources online as well as organizations to connect with.

Victoria Tucker is an undergraduate student at UAA who will be graduating in May. She currently lives in Fairbanks, AK, and shops at the Co-op Market Grocery and Deli.