Q: I write in response to the December Newsbites piece on breastfeeding as “green.” Including this piece in the Willy Street Reader does not necessarily provide new information to an already educated readership. In fact, I found that it added another level of stress to an audience that already strives to do its best in parenting and environmental protection. It also ignores the fact that some children come into families through adoption, or ultimately, that what is best for a family can’t always include breastfeeding—from medical issues to work conflicts to special needs and more. We must remember that formula is food, and a food that might be the only option for some families, many of which would identify as eco-conscious. What we need to focus on is providing not only options for women and babies to breastfeed but also healthy formulas and support for families who choose to feed their babies with this often necessary food source.
As a new mother and one who provides breast milk for her baby, I fully support breastfeeding; however, our own experience necessitated that we used formula for weeks after our daughter was born. Without this resource, our baby would not have survived. Please note that presenting the issue with the added layer of being “green” can be potentially narrow-minded. Thank you.
A: I fully agree with the points you bring up in your letter about the necessity of formula in some cases. When my son was born, we too had to use formula for a time soon after his birth out of necessity. We had no choice and found it frustrating that we had no organic options available.
We are sorry our Newsbite on the topic added stress to you; that was not our intention. It was to educate those that might not know the details of breastfeeding vs. formula and who do have the choice. We get a lot of new members all the time and feel there is a big enough audience to report on these topics, but we should have done it in a less heavy-handed way. Sorry and thanks for taking the time to write to us! I’ll make sure to put your letter in the Reader so others can read it too. -Liz Wermcrantz, Editor
Q: Make ingredients “type” larger in Deli-signs. Ask new Board members to work at checkout—to get a feel for the Co-op jobs!
A: I’ll keep this in mind if new signs are made. I struggled with this when creating the current design/layout; the system we use makes adjusting this difficult since some recipes contain, and must list, so many ingredients—the font is small to fit it all in. -Amber McGee, Art Coordinator
Interesting idea to have new Board members work at the register. Given the necessary training to run a register, helping customers bag groceries or carry to car may be a better option to get a feel for the Co-op. -Anya Firszt, General Manager
Blue Marble milk
Q: I would really like it if you could carry Blue Marble milk. It is super tasty and very local! Thanks.
A: I’m happy to announce that we now have Blue Marble! -Patrick Humiston, Dairy Buyer
Q: I miss Caspian Café! Any chance the Off-Site Kitchen crew will come up with some dishes similar to the Caspian’s? Could we maybe make a deal to get their actual recipes? Thanks.
A: We are indeed working on some bread products similar to the Caspian Café’s line to try to fill the need—look for those in the next month or two. We have no plans to pursue acquiring their recipe catalog. Thanks. -Josh Perkins, Kitchen Manager
Q: The Willy St. hummus has expiration dates just a couple days removed from the purchase date for the most part. I can’t eat it that quickly. Smaller sizes would be nice as well.
A: If I understand your comment correctly, the date referred to is not the date on which the product is unfit to consume. It is the date past which we don’t want to sell it in good faith because of the short remaining shelf life. So if the date reads 11/10, for example, and you purchase it 11/8, it should be fine through 11/11 or 11/12. Hope this makes sense. -Josh Perkins, Kitchen Manager
Q: We’re a stone’s throw from some of the best organic and conventional apples in the country (Gays Mills area), and every apple in the stores is from AZ, WA, CA, even MX!!?! What gives?
A: We have consistently been offering six varieties of locally grown apples. If you’re not seeing them, ask a produce staffer. -Andy Johnston, Produce Manager
Q: Now that there is more room for an expanded meat selection, is there a chance you’d consider widening your local beef and chicken options to include more meat that hasn’t been fed a diet of corn and soy? I know there are local grass-finished beef farms around. The Cate’s ground beef is great but I’d like more cuts. How about Fountain Prairie? I know less about local organic chicken farms—I just want to eat meat that has eaten what it has evolved to eat, not corn for conveniences. Thanks! Keep up the great work!
A: Thank you for your comments and questions. We are currently investigating alternative vendors who can provide us with many of the options you would like to see. The most likely addition you’ll see first will be local beef. Other areas are still being looked into and we encourage the continued feedback during this expansion phase. -Cory Schulz, Meat Buyer
Q: Because I enjoy hearing the outdoor musicians play (outside the front door), please consider this: with winter here, could they play on the east wall? It’d be a little more sheltered from wind and snow for them. Thank you much!
A: We also love the ability to attract area musicians. We do not ask them to sit on the west side of the entrance—they’re welcome to move to the east wall. -Lynn Olson, Cooperative Services Manager
Smaller smoothies
Q: Please offer smoothies in the smaller size!
A: Thanks for writing. Okay, that’s a good idea. We’ll have the option on the menu shortly. Thanks. -Dan Moore, Prepared Foods Manager
Q: Kindly advise your cashiers not to shove food towards customers in an effort to make them bag groceries more quickly. It’s a bit indecorous. Those items are food that we’ve spent our hard-earned money to buy. It feels a bit like being mistreated. I know you don’t employ baggers in order to keep costs low, and I have no problem with bagging (in fact I enjoy it) but a note to the cashiers: patience please.
A: Thanks for writing! We are truly sorry that you’ve had some negative experiences with our cashiers, and absolutely agree that it is important to handle customer purchases with the greatest amount of care. Sometimes, especially during busy weekends, cashiers can have the tendency to move a little quicker to keep up with the pace and may lose a little diligence in handing off items with the level of courtesy that they should. Rest assured, we take this particular issue very seriously and will be addressing it in our Front End meeting this week. -Jesse Thurber, Assistant Front End Manager
- We regret both the title and the wording in last month’s Customer Comment response called “Better Butter.” Organic Valley IS local and is our preferred choice. (Especially for butter... Theirs is delicious!)
- A helpful member-owner wrote to us to point out that our website lists 25 housing co-ops in Madison, not 19 as we reported in our Co-op Month article (October 2008). According to the owner, he has heard there are, in fact, between 34 and 36 in Madison.
