California Mandarins
I recently picked up a bag of California mandarins at Willy West. At home, when I read the label, I was surprised to read that the mandarins were “Treated to maintain freshness in transit with one or more of the following: Thiabendazole, Imazlil, Fludioxonil, Azoxystrobin, and coated with food grade natural resins and/or vegetable wax.” I realize this bag was not labeled organic and so it doesn’t need to meet organic standards, but I want to find out if it’s common for other nonorganic citrus sold at the co-op to be treated with these fungicides. The label doesn’t mention a grower, just that the mandarins are distributed by Fruit World Company, Inc. Thanks for any information you can send my way.
Great question and thanks for the comment! You are correct in that products not labeled organic do not need to meet organic standards. As to whether or not it’s common for other nonorganic citrus sold at the Co-op to be treated with fungicides, I would say yes, it is likely a standard industry practice. Fruit is likely exposed to fungicides while on the tree, and during the packing process, in both the conventional and organic sector. Any fungicide would be approved by the FDA, and for organic applications, included in the USDA’s list of approved substantces for organic production. Additionally, all fungicide applications in the state of California are regulated by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.
There is a lot of great information available on fungicide use in agriculture, and it’s encouraging to see how advancements in technology and research are increasingly contributing to sustainability in both the organic and conventional agricultural sectors. Here is a very informative article from UC Riverside about fungicides and pollinators– https://cfn-fungicides.ucr.edu/fungicides-and-pollinators. I hope this is helpful! Thanks, and have a great day! -Andy Johnston, Produce Category Manager
Plastic Reduction
I shop at Willy Street Coop each week and spend about $800 each month at the East Side store. I really do like the store and the selections available. I am glad that more unsalted organic nuts have been offered in the bulk food section, especially the organic walnuts. I would like to request that you make a concerted effort to reduce plastic package of produce and other foods. I love mandarins, but often refrain from buying them because of the plastic nets. I would also love it if it became possible to buy blueberries without the plastic packaging.
Thanks for being a frequent Willy East shopper—It’s great to hear you enjoy the selection and the store in general! Plastic reduction is an important issue to our organization and to many of our shoppers and owners. We are always on the lookout for plastic-free options; unfortunately, we are many times limited to what is available on the market and what our suppliers are offering. I will be sure to pass your comments regarding specific produce products along to our Produce Category Manager. Thank you for taking the time to write in to let us know your concerns and what you’re looking to find in our stores! -Liz Muñoz, Director of Purchasing
Breakfast Wrap
My issue today is the breakfast wrap at Willy Street West was delicious (packaged 10/23)! From what I can tell, it was the seasoning and the consistency of ingredients throughout the wrap. Usually, the wraps are not as balanced with ingredients throughout the wrap, sometimes all potato bite or egg. Also, they may not always have seasoning throughout or are a little on the bland side. Not today! If there is a way to keep this more consistent mix and flavor that would be great! Props to whoever cooked them! I used to be a breakfast cook myself, these were good.
Thank you so much for taking the time to let us know how much you enjoyed your breakfast wrap! Our deli team takes great pride in ensuring that the food we serve meets our customers’ satisfaction. We will continue to work with our team to ensure we can provide the highest level of consistency and deliciousness in every wrap we produce. I let the particular sandwich operator know how pleased you were, and they were very appreciative for the feedback.Thank you so much for being a loyal customer! -Pete Silver, Willy West Deli Manager
Grocery Bags
I’m curious to know if there’s any initiatives to lower the amount of bags we use at the Co-op. As part of a co-op, it’s nice to know we have social and environmental initiatives that have a great impact on our community, but the bag situation is one of the most obvious, and potentially easiest target as the next environmental initiative. I find myself continually displeased with receiving double-bagged groceries at almost every trip to the co-op I take as this seems very wasteful. I would like to see a shift in a new direction, or at least a discussion around how we handle our bags. In Canada, for example, many grocery stores are encouraging customers to bring their own bags. In 2022, Canada prohibited the use of single-use plastic grocery bags. From personal experience, they even charge customers for taking and using provided paper bags. While I understand this would be very difficult to implement in the United States, currently, maybe there is some takeaway the co-op can use to implement better practices. At the very least, maybe we need to invest in higher-quality bags with handles that hold more groceries. I don’t have the perfect solution, but I just wanted to raise the issue in hopes that it’ll be discussed. It would be lovely to see a shift in the US toward better one-time use bagging practices and it would be amazing if the co-op could be on the forefront of this.
Thanks for reaching out and letting us know about your concerns during the bagging portion of your shopping trips. We are always looking for ways to continue reducing our paper footprint in our stores. Currently, we do encourage shoppers to utilize their own reusable bags and by doing so, the Co-op donates 10 cents per bag to the Double Dollars Fund which supports nutritional access for all. Additionally, those who do use paper bags (both ours and other retailers) can choose to donate those bags on our shelves that hold local food pantry donations. All pantries in our area are always in need of these resources and do put them to good use. In regards to your question on if we can stop double bagging and consider finding a different supplier that has sturdy bags, I can pass that suggestion to the appropriate folks here. In the meantime, please feel free to ask your cashier to not double bag your items when checking out. -Kristina Kuhaupt, Customer Experience Manager
Fermentation Classes
Do you ever offer classes in fermentation, like kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut?
We have had fermentation classes in the past, and I’ll ask our instructors to bring some of these back! We should be able to get them on the calendar sometime in the springtime. We do have a sourdough class coming up this winter. You’ll get to make your own starter and leave the class with a loaf of bread to rise and bake at home. Thanks for the suggestions! –Liz Hawley, Education and Outreach Coordinator
Grocery Delivery
I got a delivery from Willy St. Co-op on Nov. 2nd between 9 am and 10 am. Unlike past deliveries, this one came in an unmarked personal car. The worker had no Willy St. Co-op shirt or jacket and later I got a text from DoorDash. I had thought when I ordered from Willy St. Co-op that the delivery would come with Willy St. Co-op employees. When did that change?
We switched to a new E-Commerce platform through the company E-Growcery last winter. One of the things that appealed to us about this platform was that they offer a third-party delivery service using DoorDash. We liked doing our own deliveries and know our shoppers appreciated it, but the cost of doing so outweighed the benefits. Now, we have time to spend shopping more orders here at the store! We appreciate your feedback; please let us know if you have any
further questions or concerns, thanks! -Laura Shorey Montgomery, Front End Assistant Manager/E-Commerce
Compostable Meat Wrap
Is the paper wrapping at the meat counter compostable? If it is, could we get some signage or something letting everyone know? And if not, could we look into finding one that is? It seems to have a liner, which makes me think it wouldn’t be, but I also don’t want to get the plastic packed meats when possible for obvious reasons.
We have reached out to our vendor for information on the butcher’s paper, and I’m sharing the details we have so far. I will also raise the points you mentioned with my colleagues for further consideration Thank you once again for your patience and I wish you a pleasant day.
• Improved sustainability due to less paper and poly material needed to meet functionality requirements offering an innovative product design.
• Less reliance on petroleum based poly resin which is non-renewable.
• Reduced paper fiber used due to a 80% recycled sheet with 40% post-consumer fiber content.
• Soft and pliable freezer sheet with improved feel and acceptance with operations.
• Improved barrier and “Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate” due to natural filler in poly blend
-Angelo Vieira, Willy East Meat Department Manager
