Maryland Food Collective

Maryland Food Collective, popularly known as The Co-op, is a worker-owned collective at the University of Maryland.^[2][4] The organization was founded in 1975 under a cooperative business structure with the goal of providing nutritious food.^[1] It operates under the motto, "Food for people, not for profit".^[2]

History

In the early 1970s, the University of Maryland failed in its attempts to create a food co-op, a book co-op, and a music co-op. However, a group of students did not give up. The began a "guerrilla sandwich line" campaign in which they sold sandwiches made at home at events, gatherings, and out of baskets around the campus. They were met with resistance from the local police but received overwhelming support from the student body. In August 1975, Matt Mayer, a student at the University of Maryland, College Park, submitted a proposal to the Student Government Association (SGA) for the formation of the Maryland Food Collective.^[1][3] The "sandwich line" remains to this day a staple of the food options offered to customers.^[2]

Although started as a movement against the university's administration, the food collective is now featured on tours of the university and there exists a running archive of ledgers, advertisements and other documents from the collective in Hornbake Library.

Cooperative business structure

According to a draft of the business plan of the collective:

The Co-op's current management and worker organization is based on an equal-pay, equal-responsibility and equal-role system. Every worker is hired into the same position and immediately given the same amount of responsibility and power. Each worker has equal democratic decision-making power and is expected to contribute equally to The Co-op. All workers are theoretically responsible for every aspect of the store.^[4]

Sustainable practices

The Maryland Food Collective engages in environmentally sustainable business practices.^[5] The Co-op uses biodegradable plates and bowls and provides a 10% discount to customers who bring their own cutlery and containers. Additionally, the collective makes use of the Stamp's composting dumpster and composts much of their waste. ^[6]

Food

Local and organic

Part grocery store, The Co-op features a selection of locally produced and organic fruits and vegetables. These same ingredients are used in the making of the food served in the small cafe and sandwich shop. Although these were available in a much wider variety at the front of the store, the collective decided to remove their storefront vegetable shelves (along with much of their grocery section) around 2012. However, fruits are still available by the registers and customers may ask a worker to retrieve any specific vegetables from their kitchen's walk-in refrigerator.^[1][7]

Vegan and vegetarian

While not completely vegan or vegetarian, The Co-op offers a wide assortment of vegan/vegetarian-friendly food options.^[7] Along with tuna and turkey, the sandwich line features over 50 different ingredients, of which a vast majority are vegan or vegetarian options. It also features a vegan daily hot special.^[1] The store sells vegan sides, snacks and desserts.^[7] Meals average $5 to $7.^[7]

Customer service

In 2007 The Co-op instituted an anti-discrimination policy for serving students after several cashiers refused to ring up the purchases of students wearing t-shirts expressing religious or political beliefs. The new policy "respects the right of an individual worker or volunteer to remove themselves from the work environment and to choose not to act as an agent of the store", while it also "guarantees the right of any customer in the store to be served by a representative of the store, unless the customer is acting in a verbally, physically, or sexually threatening manner".^[8]

References