A fascinating and detailed look at the impact of food co-ops has just been released by the National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA): http://strongertogether.coop/food-coops/food-co-op-impact-study. Available as a pdf, this 21-page report compares co-op and conventional food retailers in several areas:
*supporting local food systems;
*employment and job quality;
*economic impact;
*environmental stewardship;
*promoting healthy and sustainable foods.
In each of these areas, food co-ops provide impressive measures by comparison with conventional retailers. Food co-op data in the study is based on the NCGA membership, which totals 165 stores with $1.4 billion in sales and 1.3 million member-owners.
The NCGA report was researched with the help of ICA Group, a national, non-profit consultancy. “Healthy Foods, Healthy Communities: Measuring the Social and Economic Impact of Food Co-ops” was based on numerous data sources, which are listed at the end of the study with links to those sources.
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