Queens Harvest Food Co-op: Where the Shoppers Own the Store

This is an article I wrote for a local magazine about the food co-op that I'm helping to build.

Thinking she is making a healthier choice for her family, an American supermarket shopper picks up a carton of light ice cream unaware that the ingredient list contains transgenic fish and genetically modified corn and soy derivatives– untested substances that, in other parts of the world, are forbidden to be sold. She places it in her cart next to the package of hamburger patties that are manufactured with ammonia-based filler at an unsanitary slaughterhouse in an effort to curb the rising incidence of e-coli food poisoning.

Despite the fact that most of us eat three times a day, there is no question that Americans have become disengaged from the realities of our food system as well as the long-term consequences of this disconnection. Residents of western Queens have taken up this cause and are forming the borough’s first food co-op. The Queens Harvest Food Co-op, slated to open in 2012, will sell anything that might be sold by a store like Whole Foods or your regular grocer. The difference is that the shoppers own the store.

A food co-op is a member-owned, member-controlled business that buys food and household items for its members. By controlling everything from sourcing to pricing and marketing, food co-ops offer consumers a retail environment free of coercive sales influences, and with full disclosure of product quality and value.

Members range from engaged food activists to avid home cooks seeking the best ingredients and prices. They have varied reasons for wanting to be a part of the co-op, since food is such a personal subject. “I’m looking for a meaningful alternative to the conventional food system and a way of buying food that I can participate in,” explains Christine Caruso, who serves on the co-op’s outreach committee. According to their mission statement, the Queens Harvest Food Co-op aims to increase access to affordable, good quality food based on the needs and voices of members, as opposed to a grocery store where the pricing and selection are determined by outside forces. The co-op is to be located in Queens Plaza, Long Island City to address the need for a quality, affordable grocery store in the area, and also because it is a transit hub.

Unlike some other co-ops in the city which operate on a “closed model” where only working members can shop, the Queens Harvest Food Co-op will be open to the public. Shoppers who choose to volunteer their time to help run the store will get a discount, and non-member shoppers who do not have time to volunteer will pay market prices. Reflecting the economic diversity of Western Queens, co-op organizers hope that this model will allow as many people as possible to enjoy the benefits of co-op shopping. This working model reflects the guiding principles of the co-op, which include social responsibility, sustainability, and community. The Queens Harvest Food Co-op will provide products affordable to community members, employ socially responsible practices and product sourcing, and aims to accept food assistance programs (such as WIC and SNAP).

Greener than your average grocery, the co-op will also employ sustainable practices (minimally packaged products, bulk bins), purchase from independent, local, sustainable and organic sources, and be built and operate as environmentally responsibly as possible. For the community, the co-op plans to offer classes and resources about healthy living, social responsibility and sustainability, as well as to honor diversity and be a welcoming place for all people.

Since opening the store is about a year away, the Queens Harvest Food Co-op is holding regular outreach events to spread the word and invite more potential members to participate in the planning process. In August, they hosted an Iron Chef Salad Throwdown at Astoria Park in which chefs from the co-op battled it out to win the crowd’s vote for best salad (see photo), using produce donated from local farms.

            The co-op will be holding its first major fundraising event this fall on Wednesday, October 27^th from 6-9pm at the Foundry in Long Island City. Festivities will include a tasting of Queens area restaurants' food and wine, light music, a raffle/silent auction, and a special guest. Money raised from the evening will go to the co-op’s fund for projects such as low-income outreach, a feasibility study, and a formal business plan to attract investors.

            Interested in getting involved but curious how you might fit in? The Queens Harvest Food Co-op operates by committees and is particularly seeking people who are familiar with grant writing, research, and fundraising, as well as those familiar with commercial real estate, grocery operations, and industrial or structural engineering.

For more information about the Oct. 27^th event, or to learn more about the co-op, visit their website at www.queensharvestcoop.com. Lively and informative monthly general meetings are held in Long Island City, are open to the public, and are and a great way to meet your neighbors.