Food co-ops: Where democracy, community & sustainability come together

Hour 2

There has been a resurgence in food co-ops the past several years. People have different reasons for pursuing quality, nutritious, locally sourced food. The recent unstable economy has driven some families to be more selective about what they eat and some share a collective interest in sustaining their own control over their neighborhood businesses. Local co-ops have been enjoying expansions: Weavers Way Co-op, founded in 1973, is renovating their Mt. Airy store and is supporting the Elkins Park “CreekSide” store this fall, with other sites in development – the co-op is hosting the annual Consumer Cooperative Management Association national conference in Philadelphia this weekend. And West Philadelphia’s 40-year old Mariposa Food Co-op is enjoying this new wave by moving into a  new space on Baltimore Ave. Our guests are DAVID WOO, immediate past president of Weavers Way, and BILL GESSNER, lead consultant for CDS Consulting Co-Op, which specializes in national co-op expansion planning and business development will join us in –studio. And we’ll check in with nutritionist and public health professor MARION NESTLE, to help us understand how we can secure honest food at honest prices. Her new book is, “Why Calories Count: From Science to Politics.”

[This post has been revised to reflect the relationship between Weavers Way and Creekside co-ops.]

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[audio: 061512_110630.mp3]