OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE PARK SLOPE FOOD COOP Established 1973 Volume JJ, Number 14 July 9, 2015 Hormel’s Acquisition of Applegate The Home Pharmacy Offers Farms Reflects Larger Trend Spices, Vegetables, Oils By Devin Harner to Keep You Healthy and hen Hormel Foods—a former Brooklynite. Garrett Valley, D’Artagnan, Wcompany best known The Coop currently stocks Organic Prairie and Brooklyn for Spam and canned chili— numerous Applegate meats, Hot Dog Company. Combat Common Ailments announced in May that they’d including: smoked turkey There is some overlap By Jaweed Kaleem be acquiring New Jersey’s breast, uncured slow-cooked with Applegate, and the packaged sausage, bacon and ham, roasted turkey breast, other brands mentioned deli meat stalwart, Apple- uncured Black Forest ham, are a bit cheaper—both gate Farms, it may not have Genoa salami, pepperoni, organic and otherwise—but registered for Coop members turkey pepperoni, turkey they don’t seem to offer the other than the most ardent bacon, uncured stadium beef sheer breadth of products foodies and financial-market hot dogs, uncured turkey hot that Applegate does. As the watchers. country’s largest producer With the deal slated to of organic processed meat, happen by July 28, 2015, and ... Applegate’s cold cuts and Applegate occupies a sweet Hormel’s recent announce- hot dogs are our top sellers, spot in the marketplace, ment of a new incoming Chief and the Coop moved $6,231 and at the Coop, attracting Operating Officer and Chief customers who care about worth of their products ILLUSTRATION BY CATY BARTHOLOMEW Financial Officer, I reached eating naturally and organ- out to Applegate to see how during the last week of ically, and giving them a In the food medicine cabinet: cinnamon, kale, pistachio, the acquisition might affect June alone. high-quality product at a flax seeds, garlic, mint, lemon and ginger Coop shoppers. premium price. It should The Coop’s meat and also be noted, however, that arly last month on the Coop’s York restaurants—includ- poultry buyer, Heather Rubi, dogs, sweet Italian chicken not all Applegate products Esecond floor, a few dozen ing three now-defunct Man- estimates that we’ve been sausage, frozen breakfast are organic. community members gathered hattan establishments, Mie, carrying Applegate products sausage and chicken nuggets. Applegate recognizes in the meeting room for a food Kai, and Kyo-Tofu—over the since the mid-‘90s. She recalls According to Rubi, Apple- that their products’ quality demonstration—with a twist. course of 24 years, before Joe Holtz having met with gate’s cold cuts and hotdogs is the reason for their suc- The instructor was Chef becoming a private chef and Applegate’s founder, Stephen are our top sellers, and the cess, and that it’s also the Hideyo Yamada. At this Coop culinary instructor. McDonnell, before the items Coop moved $6,231 worth of reason that they were able demonstration, she was teach- “Everyone loves Japa- began to be carried on Coop their products during the last to successfully find a suitor ing the class not only how to nese food. But what you shelves, to discuss McDon- week of June alone. It should like Hormel. make some of her favorite Jap- get in restaurants is some- nell’s plans for a product cat- be noted that the Coop also Applegate’s Senior Direc- anese treats, but about how times really sugary or salty or egory that didn’t exist at the carries a wide range of pro- tor of Mission, Gina Asoude- to cook food that could make unhealthy,” noted Yamada, time—antibiotic and chemi- cessed meats from local gan, assured me that there’s people feel good—or even feel who was not referring specif- cal free meats. McDonnell is a and national companies like CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 better from ailments. The class ically to her past employers. was titled “Food Pharmacy.” She added, “But there are very Chef Yamada grew up in simple ways to eat, and foods Tokyo. She worked in New CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 Next General Meeting on July 28 The General Meeting of the Park Slope Food Coop is held on the WHAT'S BEING COLLECTED: WHEN: 2nd Wednesday of the month, 2pm - 4pm last Tuesday of each month. The July General Meeting will be on Tuesday, July 28, at 7:00 p.m. at MS 51. Toothpaste tubes, any brand and size 4th Saturday of the month, 2pm - 4pm For more information about the GM and about Coop (toothbrushes OK too) WHERE: Outside in front of the Coop governance, please see the center of this issue. Baby food pouches and caps (any brand) or inside during inclement weather Energy bar wrappers (any brand but only energy PSFC / TerraCycle Recycling Collections bars—no other wrappers please) The vote is in and members at the May GM IN THIS ISSUE Brita filters (other filter brands okay) plus other unanimously voted to create work shifts to collect a Puzzle .............................................. 2 Brita filter–related items variety of hard-to-recycle packaging in partnership Q&A: Rachel Wiesenfeld of Wise Organic Pastures ..........4 Plow to Plate Presents .................................5 Plastic food storage zip lock bags (any size), plastic cling with TerraCycle. Pro-Coop: Finding Real Alternatives to Boycotting..........6 wrap, and small bulk bags (NO PLASTIC ROLL BAGS OR Save up your eligible waste for upcoming SHOPPING BAGS) Interim Board of Directors Election ......................7 collection dates. Welcome, Coop Calendar, Mission Statement, Governance Cereal bag and cracker bag liners or bulk cereal bags QUESTIONS: [email protected] Information .......................................9 (any brand) Calendar of Events ...................................10 LEARN MORE: www.terracycle.com Letters to the Editor..................................12 Note: Presort and separate items by category. No need to clean or remove labels. Classifieds ..........................................15 Do not bring items other than those listed here. Exciting Workshop Opportunities.......................16 2 July 9, 2015 Park Slope Food Coop, Brooklyn, NY Hormel’s CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 no reason to worry about your Applegate Uncured Smoked Ham suddenly morphing into Spam. “The acquisition will change nothing for shoppers at the Park Slope [Food] Coop. Our products, recipes, stan- dards and supply chain remain unchanged. Applegate is still Applegate,” said Asoudegan. Asoudegan also high- lighted that their meats are 100% GMO-free as of July 1, 2015. In addition, their roast beef and beef hot dogs are 100% grass-fed. However, she also acknowledged that due to antibiotic free and organic pork’s growing popularity, it’s been difficult for them to source enough of it—hence a sporadic bacon short- age over the last few years. ILLUSTRATION BY VALERIE TRUCCHIA They currently work with approximately 1,800 farms, like Katz. exemplify this acquisition BUYING PREPARED bulk aisles, buying nouns— and they’re trying to bring Brian Uyeda, who has trend: FOODS VERSUS not brands. The more you do in more suppliers. They’re been a member for 11 years, INGREDIENTS so, the less you will have to also trying to meet demand has bought Applegate’s tur- • Clorox—yes, that Clorox, Another point to consider worry about your favorite old- by introducing new products key deli meat and chicken as in bleach—purchased is that many of the aforemen- timey, down-home-sounding like Good Morning Bacon, nuggets, and will keep doing Burt’s Bees in 2007 tioned brands like Applegate brands becoming tainted or which makes use of tradi- so if they maintain their • General Mills bought Cas- Farms are prepared or pro- tampered with as these kinds tionally underutilized parts quality, and if the Coop con- cadian Farm in 1999 cessed foods. As thought of corporate acquisitions con- of the pig like the shoulder. tinues to support Applegate • ConAgra bought Light Life leaders on food like Michael tinue to accelerate.n Given that there just (by stocking their products). in 2000 and sold it to pri- Pollan and Mark Bittman tell aren’t enough antibiotic-free Rubi, the Coop’s meat and vate equity firm, Brynwood us, the secret to healthy eat- pigs to go round, Hormel poultry buyer, noted that she Partners in 2013 ing is to eat simple, to eat will have to find a happy “has concerns about Hor- fresh, and to eat local. Big • Danone gained an approxi- medium between their ambi- mel—a company with little business can’t compete with mately 85% stake in Stony- tions for growth and Apple- to no interest in the clean- farmers’ coops and indepen- field Farms in 2003 gate’s desire to stay true to meat movement—suddenly dent, specialized vendors their mission of producing switching gears and purchas- • Colgate-Palmolive pur- when it comes to simple and high-quality meats. ing this company.” However, chased Tom’s of Maine in fresh. Interestingly, the Coop our meat-eating members 2006 Spend some time and members interviewed for can rest assured knowing • General Mills acquired money in the produce and this article weren’t partic- that Rubi is vigilant: “We Food Should Taste Good ularly concerned about the are keeping an eye on it. As in 2012 acquisition. Carla Iny, who’s long as the brand continues been a member for two to produce using the same Companies buying Sudoku years, has purchased Apple- standards, we have no prob- smaller companies is par gate’s bacon in the past, and lem,” she said. for the course in the global Sudoku is a puzzle. You are presented with a 9x9 grid of would do it again if there economy, and healthy- and squares, and that grid is divided into 3x3 zones. were no difference to the BIG ORGANIC, organic-lifestyle brands You solve the puzzle by filling the empty squares with product.