Save Money on Organic Food: Join a Natural Foods Co-op

Put off by the high price of organic food? Try buying in bulk at a food co-op.

Planet Green posted this great article about the benefits of belonging to an organic food co-op.  We’ve got one going in our little community of Ojai, and chances are, there’s one near you that you don’t even know about.  Click-through to the original article from the link at the bottom to find out if there’s one near you.

Enjoy!

By Derek Markham
Silver City, NM, USA

One common reason you might shy away from purchasing only organically grown food is the relatively higher price when compared to conventionally grown and sourced foods.

If your budget doesn’t seem to cover it, then even if you know the importance of eating organic foods for your own health (and the health of the soil and water), you’ll choose the foods you feel like you can afford.


Luckily for us, the tradition of natural food cooperatives still survives. Many food cooperatives (co-ops) were formed out of necessity – natural foods and health food items were not readily available at the corner grocery store – but have survived because of the community-powered principles behind them.

The definition of a co-op, from the International Cooperative Alliance:

“A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise. Co-operatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, co-operative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.”

Co-ops are guided by the cooperative principles:

  1. Voluntary and Open Membership
  2. Democratic Member Control
  3. Member Economic Participation
  4. Autonomy and Independence
  5. Education, Training and Information
  6. Cooperation among Cooperatives
  7. Concern for Community


In essence, co-ops serve their member’s needs. They aren’t out to make huge profits for absentee stockholders, they’re out to provide maximum value for their shareholders (the members). And one of the things they can do is save you money on food – sometimes on regular prices, but most often in the form of bulk purchasing.

Many co-ops have discounted pricing for bulk orders, for example, on bags of grains, beans, oats, even produce, personal care, and prepared foods. This means that by purchasing the foods you eat regularly in large quantities, you’ll not only be assured of having your staples on hand, you’ll also pay less per serving. You do have to come up with the cash up front, plus a place to store the food, but it’s definitely worth it.

There are further advantages to Organic Co-Ops.  To read the rest of this article, click HERE.

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  • http://www.thecrunchycoach.com/blog Emily

    The prices of the food of the co-op in my area aren’t dramatically less than the local health food store, but the food I get is for the most part much fresher than what I buy in the store. Since freshness=higher nutritional value, that’s a good enough reason for me to keep participating!

  • SHERYL

    I totally agree. Even I am guilty of buying conventionally grown and sourced foods that fits my budget than purchasing only organically grown food which is a bit of higher price. But I’m glad to have read about your article. Now I know about co-op and how their prices are lower. I’ll check them out someday. Thanks!

  • Julreana

    I’m now looking into purchasing organically grown food for me and my family because it’s healthy. But sometimes it’s just out of my budget and really not easy to look for in groceries. It’s good to know about co-op, at least now I have a great option. Thanks for sharing.

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