Co-opting an Unsustainable Food System: Student-Run Collectives Replace Junk Food @ College Campuses

[marmar]

from Politics of the Plate:




Co-opting an Unsustainable Food System: Student-Run Collectives Replace Junk Food Franchises on College Campuses
Posted by Barry on February 14, 2011


When Panda Express, a 1300-outlet Chinese fast food chain, announced plans to open a branch on the campus of the University of California Berkeley, a group of students protested, not surprisingly given that their city is the heart of all things local/seasonal/sustainable/organic in this country. What is surprising is that the students not only defeated the chain, but took their victory one step further by raising $100,000 to replace the proposed Beijing Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp, and Kung Pao Chicken joint with a student-run co-op carrying fresh, local, healthy, sustainable, and fairly produced food that would be sold at affordable prices.

Youthful naiveté? Think again. After two and a half years of planning, the Berkeley Student Food Collective opened late last year. According to Yoni Landau, one of the organizers, the collective resembles any small convenience store or market, featuring grocery items and prepared sandwiches that harried students can grab on their way to or from classes. Prices are kept affordable with the help of volunteer employees. “We won,” said Landau in an interview.

If Landau has his way, there are going to be a lot of other winners, too. Landau, who graduated recently, and others involved in the Berkeley effort realized that the experience had taught them a great deal about the nitty-gritty details of opening a successful co-op. Instead of allowing that knowledge to languish, they decided to start an organization that would train students nationwide how to open their own campus food co-ops. “It’s really about food sovereignty,” he said. “Students having control over the institutions that serve them food.”

About a year ago, with Landau as Director, the students founded the Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive (CoFed), whose launch committee includes such sustainable food luminaries as authors Michael Pollan and Bill McKibben and Slow Food USA President Josh Viertel. ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://politicsoftheplate.com/?p=768

[dkf]

1. Why does this only work on college campuses?

It can't possibly be the minimum wages that make things so expensive can it?

[Horse with no Name]

3. No. It is the profit margin at the top

I think in the old days, they took the profit AFTER the expenses and salaries and now they take it off the top and figure out how to divvy the rest amongst the salaries and expenses.
When the CEO's want more, then the workers have to take less and the quality suffers.

[Wilms]

2. Cool. n/t