Plastics
Q: I was disappointed to see the response to a customer concern about plastic use in the co-op in the May 2021 Reader. I especially took issue with the statement "To complicate things we've noticed a real shift in what customers are purchasing at our stores: pre-pandemic, the move toward less plastic was really gaining momentum, but in the last year plastic packaged items have become much more popular amongst people who shop in our stores. It's a balancing act for us..." I take issue with this statement as it is hard not to see a higher demand in plastic packaged items when there are no other options. Plastic is not "popular", there literally have been no other options as those were removed early in the pandemic. I understood the need to shut down the bulk aisle and other plastic free options at the beginning of the pandemic and per PHMDC mandates before we knew that fomite transmission of covid-19 is very minimal. Now that we know better, we do better. In almost every Reader edition over the past year there have been customers asking, pleading, with the co-op to reduce plastic, let us bring our own bags, open the bulk, among other environmental concerns. Our community is a very environmentally conscious one and I think as owners we need to be heard. This statement also directly contradicts the response to a plastic concern in the April 2021 customer comments that states "if we don't push for reduced plastics in our stores, it will never happen, and I am committed to pushing". I have been a happy owner for many years now, but I would really like to see more action in this area. With covid-19 vaccines and low case numbers, it is time to reopen bulk mushrooms/greens, stop individually wrapping baked goods in cling wrap, fully open the bulk aisles, bring back bulk tea, etc. We truly do want these options available.
Please also answer directly if we can now bring our own containers to purchase things from the bulk aisle.
A: Thanks for the comment. I'm sorry you weren't happy with the response that I wrote that was published in the Reader.
I should have been more clear in my answer. When I referred to packaged items being more popular, I was referring to the items that we continued to offer in the Produce department as both bulk and packaged through the pandemic—things like bags of lemons, bagged apples, packaged green beans and peas, and other fruits and veggies that have been available both in packaging and bulk. For these types of items, we have seen a marked increase in our sales of the packaged version, and a decrease in the bulk versions. We've even had customers request packaged versions of items that have historically only been available in bulk.
Here's an update on the items you specifically asked for:
Regarding bringing your own containers for bulk, I'm happy to report that we have just made the decision to allow this practice again—we do ask that containers be clean and food safe, but you are welcome to bring them.
We have been wrapping bakery items since well before the pandemic. This was a tough call to make when we started doing it, but ultimately, we found that by wrapping the baked goods, we were able to reduce our food waste by a considerable amount. This is a recurring conundrum that comes up regarding packaging—packaging certain items reduces food waste by a considerable amount, and weighing those two factors from a sustainability perspective can be very difficult—sometimes there are simply no good answers!
At this time, we do not have a plan to bring back bulk herbs and tea. We do offer large bags of teas and herbs however. I will pass this comment on to our General Merchandise team so they know that there is interest.
The county is now allowing the use of tongs and scoops for bulk items in produce, so we are currently in the process of deciding when and how to begin offering bulk salad mixes and mushrooms again. Because bulk salad mix and mushrooms are historically the biggest contributor to waste in our Produce departments (they go bad much more quickly than packaged versions), we had decided to wait until we heard from customers that they would like them to return. We have so far received very few requests, so I'm glad you wrote! Thanks again, and have a great day! Best, Megan Minnick, Purchasing Director
Double-Yolk Creep Out
Q: Just had to reply to the reader who felt creeped out by double-yolked eggs. We had chickens when I was growing up, and they were totally organic and free-range. It was not unusual for the hens to lay double-yolked eggs; I even remember one or two tripled-yolked ones. (I'm guessing this occurrence would be almost non-existent in mass-produced eggs from factory-style henhouses.) Just think of this as a bonus dose of Vitamins A, D, E, and K; choline; and iron!
By the way, this has nothing to do with fertilization; most of the eggs sold in grocery stores are, in fact, unfertilized.
A: Thank you for sharing your egg knowledge and experience with us! It is really nice of you to explain it a bit more. I have seen double egg yolks frequently as a consumer, but it is helpful to have some confirmation from someone who has raised chickens in the past. Your point about their fertilization or lack thereof is an interesting one; I think most people assume they are fertilized, when that is not really the case.
I appreciate you taking the time to share your insights with us! I do not always feel like I have all of the information to answer all of the questions I receive, so I am thankful you decided to drop us a note. -Dean Kallas, Grocery Category Manager
Glass Jar Baby Food
Q: I’m wondering if you will carry baby food in glass jars again. I admit I love the plastic “squirts” in a pinch, but I’ve been trying so hard to use less plastic. Several of my close friends are cancer survivors (we are in our thirties). I know we can only do so much, but I want to protect my loved ones as best I can from potential carcinogens. And of course, less plastic is better for the whole natural world, not just humans. But the more aware I am, the more I see plastic everywhere. I wish I had the time to, say, make my own yogurt, or the money to regularly buy yogurt in glass, but as anyone with a baby (or really, any person) understands, there just aren’t enough hours in the day to make everything we eat/wear/use from scratch.
Thanks for any information about baby food and plastic-free food products in general! And thanks to all y’all for cultivating a really important institution. -Plasticphobe
A: Thank you for your comments and questions on baby food in glass jars!! I am not sure if you heard about the Congressional Report on Baby Foods that was released earlier this year, but it was the main reason we have been changing up our baby food selection. I am a big fan of food packaged in glass jars, but the levels of heavy metals found in some of the baby food products we were carrying was pretty disturbing.
If you would like, we can special order you a case of baby food packaged in glass jars. They are still available to us through our distributor. I believe they come in 10-packs.
I hear you on using less plastic and seeing it everywhere. It is a constant struggle, and I hope we can find a better way to package things moving forward. Our shared planet is depending on us to do better. I appreciate you taking the time to reach out and voice your concerns! It is a tough topic, but a very important one for us to openly discuss. -Dean Kallas, Grocery Category Manager
Certified Firewood
Q: Is the fire wood that you sell DATCP certified? I'm going camping and need firewood that has been purchased from a DATCP certified vendor.
Thank you.
A: Why yes! Our firewood is DATCP certified. Please let us know if you have any other questions, and happy camping to you! -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director
Commons and Hot Bar Reopening
Q: When do you plan to open the common area and hot bar again?
A: Great questions. Not knowing which locations you are interested in specifically, I can give you an overview of where we are at for all three stores.
The outdoor Commons are open at all stores. The indoor Commons during the public health emergency period took on some other roles: currently they have been serving as either break space or storage space, in particular for some registers that we removed to better allow for physical distancing between customers waiting in line. We are making plans to reinstall those registers and deep clean the indoor commons areas to bring them back into use, but we do not have the final timeline worked out as of yet. It is possible some locations may open up indoor commons sooner than others.
Hot bars are currently open at East and North with prepackaged food, and we are aiming to bring back self-serve foods to those locations by July 1. Our hot bar at West needs to be replaced and so we are anticipating that we will be back in action there in August or September. There was a really long lead time for the equipment when we placed the order, and to-date we have not been able to get a good read on when it will arrive for install.
Our Communications department keeps the website up to date with changes, if you are interested in keeping tabs on the return of these services, and we are also doing our level best to include updates about all of our services in the monthly Reader.
If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to reach out! Enjoy your weekend. -Kirsten Moore, Cooperative Services Director