Co-op Market

Grocery & Deli

TwitterFacebookYelppinterest

.
Monday - Saturday: 8am - 8pm
Sunday: 9am - 7pm

526 Gaffney Road
Fairbanks, AK 99701
907.457.1023

  • About
    • What is a Co-op?
    • Our Mission and Values
    • Become a Co-op Owner
    • Location & Hours
    • Careers
    • COVID-19 Updates
    • Contact
  • Shop
    • No-Hassle Return Policy
    • Curbside Pickup
    • Owner Deals
    • So Many Ways to Save!
  • Community
    • Lend A Hand
    • Shop & Share
  • Events & Resources
    • Events
      • Owner Appreciation Days
    • Recipes – Bulk
    • Recipes – Deli
  • Governance
    • Board of Directors
    • Board Meetings
    • Bylaws
  • Blog
  • Donate

Shipping Update: Our Shelves Are Filling Up

February 5, 2016 By Marketing Leave a Comment

We’re happy to report that our freight is finally moving again, and we’ve been working hard to get the store shelves stocked full. On Wednesday, we received 9 pallets of groceries (as opposed to our usual 3 or 4). Busy stockers are happy stockers!

super stockersAll of Alaska took notice when grocery shelves began emptying out last month. The breakdown of a cargo vessel at the port in Tacoma disrupted food deliveries to Alaska. When other stores were running out of meat, we were stocking our case with local beef and pork. And while we did run low on fruits and veggies, we took the opportunity to deep clean our shelves.

We also thought it was important to share information about the shipping delays with our customers.

Many people wondered why we were willing to talk to the media when the other stores wouldn’t or couldn’t. It’s simple: Our Owners are our friends and neighbors, not faceless shareholders who live far away. We are a part of this community, and we feel that it is important to share information with the community.

You’ve probably heard that 95% of our food must be barged and trucked in from Outside. It’s estimated that we have a 7-day supply of food in the state. Now that deliveries are getting back to a more normal schedule, it’s time to think about the implications. How can we Alaskans be more food secure and self-sufficient?

Here are some ideas.

  1. Support your local farmers. When you buy locally grown food, our farmers grow more of it, and we all benefit.
  2. Learn to preserve food when its abundant, whether by freezing, canning or pickling it. The UAF Cooperative Extension Service is a great resource.
  3. Keep a good supply of long-lasting staples on hand, such as rice, dried beans, powdered milk, canned goods.
  4. Grow your own garden. It will soon be time to start your seeds.
  5. Learn about where, when and how your food is grown and how it gets to you, so that you can make conscious, informed decisions about the things you buy.

Co-op Market exists, in part, to provide a viable marketplace for local agriculture, and we are doing that. Alaskans do love Alaskan products, and demand can quickly outstrip supply.

For example, we sell out of local eggs almost as soon as we get them. We would sell more if we could get more, but many small producers can’t afford to follow packaging regulations and other food safety rules. We need to find a way to build an agricultural infrastructure to make this easier and less expensive.

With the help of a USDA grant, we will soon begin work with UAF on a study to determine the feasibility of a mobile poultry processing facility. Such a facility would make it possible for us to sell local poultry at the co-op. Without a certified processor in Alaska, we currently cannot do this.

As a co-op, we believe that cooperation may hold the key to many of our food supply issues in Alaska. Local farmers could join together and create a cooperative kitchen certified for commercial use. Sharing the costs, farmers could create value-added goods, such as frozen fruits and vegetables. This would expand the market: We can’t buy and sell these goods unless they’re produced in a certified facility.

Seeing empty shelves in the stores was a shock to many of us. But it was also good for us. More Alaskans are aware of food security, and we’re talking about it. This is how change begins.

Filed Under: Food, Issues, News

Does Food Rule?

May 6, 2010 By mary.christensen Leave a Comment

A review of the new “quick read” by Michael Pollan, “Food Rules”

By Rich Seifert,  Co-op Market Board Member

I read Michael Pollan’s first book, the Botany of Desire many years ago, and now his stature as America’s food folk hero is perhaps at its peak.  He has followed an interesting road, and one we should all travel along these days.

His latest, “Food Rules”, is a very quick but effective read written in the pattern of “Life’s Little Lesson Books”. This format makes the book, dense as it is with inspirations, a very quick read.  It is perfectly designed for any aspiring “food missionaries” out there who want to promote healthy eating and move to a healthier diet.

And for those of us who want to see Alaska, and for me, Fairbanks, become healthier through healthy eating, the virtues of this little tome are as timely as they are helpful.

The plan for the book was to ask people, through a New York Times blog called “Well” (as in wellness) for their best advice in an aphorism on eating well and healthy.  Spinning onward from his previous book, In Defense of Food, he condenses the entire message of the book into these seven words:  Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

Pretty comprehensive actually.  But in this little book he refines the message further into paragraphs of food insight, which I can best relate by showing examples of my own “favorites’” list.  Take these examples as a few seductive tastes to incite you to read the book:

–       Avoid food products that contain ingredients no ordinary person would keep in their pantry. For instance ethoxylated diglycerides, cellulose, xanthan gum.  Doesn’t seem too hard, does it?

–       Avoid food products that make health claims (!) Well this seems counter-intuitive at first, but upon reflection, makes great sense.  If a product has to tell you how healthy it is, then it is making up for some deficiency it obviously has.  Carrots don’t have to convince you that they are good for you.

–       Avoid foods you see advertised on television. Whoa, this is a biggie!  I have heard a friend describe commercials for pizza or Red Lobster restaurant as “food pornography”.  A fairly apt description of the visual effect of the commercials. It shouldn’t be necessary to say that the vegetable lobby doesn’t need to do TV ads.

–       Eat only foods that will eventually rot. Again, anything that will last indefinitely has so many preservatives and probably toxic ingredients that keep it from “spoiling” that it cannot be very good for living creatures such as we humans.   An exception is honey, which has an indefinite shelf life, but it is unique in that respect.  All food needs to be digestible, and if it can’t be digestible outside your body by other creatures who need it just as much, it is unlikely to be healthfully digested inside your body.

Since I am writing this for both the general public and particularly for the future patrons of our Fairbanks Community Cooperative Market (Co-op Market), I want to encourage the best food products for a healthy life, and make them available in Alaska, and preferably grown here too.

Michael Pollan’s  “Food Facts” is motivated by much the same things. He started out with a keen interest in finding out how to eat well to maintain his family’s health. He discloses two major facts in the preface that he has gleaned from this search, and he concisely summarizes what he has learned and written about since.

First, populations that eat mostly the “ Western” diet, consisting of lots of processed foods and meat, added fats and sugars, lots of refined grains, lots of everything except vegetables, invariably suffer from high rates of the so-called Western diseases:  obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.  Virtually all of the obesity and the diabetes, 80% of the cardiovascular disease, and more than a third of all cancers can be linked to this diet.

And second, in contrast, populations eating a remarkably wide range of traditional diets generally don’t suffer from these chronic diseases.  It appears that we human omnivores are well adapted to a broad range of mixed traditional diets, except for one: the WESTERN DIET, recently fallen upon us.

There is a third factor though which is good news, and which I hope that our new co-op will help to promote:  People who get off the Western diet see dramatic improvements in their health.  Pollan cites research that suggests that the effects of the Western diet can be rolled back by getting off it, and relatively quickly.

It is our intent with the Co-op Market to help in every way to achieve this option and promote community health and wellness. We even have a committee devoted to those very subjects. (The next meeting of the Health and Wellness committee is Tuesday, June 1 at 5:30 pm at the Volunteer Center.)

Stay with us, be patient, and start developing these suggested eating habits now. As soon as we can, the Co-op Market will do all it can to keep you eating healthy and maintaining local food availability.  Join the Co-op Market, become a full voting member, and eat well.  Live long and prosper…  and come and visit us online at www.FairbanksCoop.org/

Filed Under: Food, Issues, Member education Tagged With: books, education, food systems, health

Flapjack fest this Sunday!

March 25, 2010 By coopmarket Leave a Comment


Sunday, March 28, 2010, 10:00am – 2:00pm
JP Jones Community Development Center
2400 Rickert St.

Join the Fairbanks Community Cooperative Market for a full breakfast including whole wheat pancakes. Visit with board members and find out more about our progress or share your thoughts and ideas.

The Xtra Tuffs—Emily Anderson, Ryan Bowers and Sabe Herreid Flores—will be joining us as a special treat. This extraordinary trio of young musicians are not to be missed. Their unique sound is a genre by itself. The Xtra Tuffs will play at 11:30 am and again at 1 pm. (Tips encouraged!)

Admission is only $10 for adults, $7 for children 12 and under and free for children under 5.

Filed Under: Events, Food Tagged With: fundraisers, music

Talk by David Fazzino and Phil Loring on Alaska food systems

December 9, 2009 By coopmarket Leave a Comment

This event, part of the Anthropology Colloquium Series, may be of interest to FCCM members:

Anchorage? Uh, Washington? Anyone? We Have a Problem! Disaster Politics and Cumulative Effects in Alaskan Food Systems
David Fazzino and Phil Loring, Department of Anthropology, UAF
Friday, Dec. 11
3:30 p.m. – Schaible Auditorium, Bunnell Building, UAF
****
Information: pplattet@alaska.edu

Filed Under: Events, Food, Issues, Member education Tagged With: education, food systems, local food production, rural Alaska, sustainability

Eating Alaska showing sponsored by the Health & Wellness Committee

November 21, 2009 By coopmarket 1 Comment

The Fairbanks Coop’s Health and Wellness Committee in conjunction with the UAF Peace and Justice Coalition presents a FREE showing of the film Eating Alaska Tuesday night, November 24, at 7 p.m. at UAF’s Schaible Auditorium. Running time is 57 minutes.

We’ll have a brief introduction and open discussion afterwards. All members of the Fairbanks and surrounding community are invited (both present and future members of the Coop!), so invite your friends to a FREE showing of this excellent documentary.

Filed Under: Events, Food, Member education Tagged With: committees, health, local food production, movies

Community sustainability meeting

November 3, 2009 By coopmarket Leave a Comment

Suzy Fenner of SCANFairbanks and Mike & Ritchie Musick are holding a meeting on community sustainability:

November 4th, 6:00 – 8:00 pm Wednesday evening at the Noel Library Auditorium

There will be a presentation by Ritchie and Mike Musick on The Natural Step for Communities, discussion afterwards, and a second presentation and discussion at 7:00 pm on food security and sustainable agriculture.

Contact: Suzy Fenner, SCANFairbanks
(Sustainable Community Action Network for Fairbanks — advocating for economic, environmental, and social sustainability) (907) 479-2345, polarsolar@gmail.com

Filed Under: Events, Food, Issues Tagged With: community, sustainability

Dessert Auction Updates!

October 31, 2009 By mary.christensen 1 Comment

Dessert Auction Extravaganza!!

November 21, 2009
Morris Thompson Cultural Center
$10  (suggested donation**)

Dessert Donation Check – in: Between 6:15 p.m. – 6:45
Program and Auction Begins: 7:30Featuring guest “Celebrity Chef’s” and
Live Music and dancing by The Denali Mountain Boys; featuring Bruce Delbridge, Kit Carson, Earl Hughes and Fred Weisse.

Auction Fun by Jersey Jones and featuring local chefs and perhaps even a surprise appearance by a couple of celebrity chefs.

No host cash bar by Pikes,featuring  local wine and beer.

Coffee by Forget Me Not Espresso.

Door Prizes

Hosted by our own Board of Directors

**Dessert donations, purchases and membership fees are not tax deductible. Your support helps us with our effort to open a community-owned and controlled grocery store that will support local farmers and help build a thriving, local food system and create a just marketplace that nourishes. the community.

Filed Under: Events, Food Tagged With: fundraisers

First Annual HARVEST FAIR and Business Meeting

August 13, 2009 By mary.christensen 2 Comments

First Annual HARVEST FAIR

Celebrating our Accomplishments….Appreciating our Members

Saturday, August 29, 2009 – Noon to 8 pm – Pioneer Park Civic Center

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

A word about DOOR PRIZES! There will be drawings throughout the day!

Noon – Doors Open – Enjoy browsing among the many vendor tables and check out what is planned for children to do.

12:15 pm – Laura Vines – Traditional Folk Music – Exhibit Hall

1:00 Tundra Caravan Dance Troupe – Exhibit Hall

1:15 “Musical Rumours” – a vocal Jazz Group – Exhibit Hall

1:30 – Modern Dance Piece – “Finding Balance” – Exhibit Hall

Choreographer: Krista Katalenich in collaboration with Felix Bambury Webbe
Music: Med sud i eyrum by Sigur Ros

1:35 – Jean McDermott – Fiddle – Exhibit Hall

1:55 – Alaskan Amy – Hoop Dancer – Exhibit Hall

2:00 – Project Cuba Alaska demonstrating Rueda de Casino – Exhibit Hall

2:15 Project Cuba Alaska – performing “Gaga”, a high energy Afro –Haitian Celebration dance – Exhibit Hall

2:30 Power Point presentation: “The Spark of a Dream” – a tribute to Dave Lacey, and including a report on FCCM’s progress – Civic Center Theatre

3:00 Business Meeting and Elections – Civic Center Theatre

Tentative Agenda for business meeting: (This is subject to change)

1. Announcements and Introductions

2. Call to Order

3. Review and Approval of Agenda

4. President’s Report

5. Officer’s Report

6. Committee Reports

7. Presentation of Board of Directors

8. Election of Board of Directors

9. Vote to on DRAFT Bylaws and Membership Fee Structure.

ALSO at 3 PM Special Activities for Children – in the Exhibit Hall

3 pm – Hoop Playshop with Hoop Dance Ananda – Exhibit Hall

5:00 Pot Luck (Please bring a side dish) Volunteers with FCCM are planning to provide meat dishes

6:00 Live music by Steve Brown & the Bailers – Exhibit Hall

7:00 Music Jam – Bring your instrument – Exhibit Hall

Please come to this family-oriented celebration where you will enjoy the many vendor booths, exhibits featuring local crafts, farmers, musicians, dancers, artists, and food.

Thank you to all who have made this event possible!


Filed Under: Business, Events, Food Tagged With: elections, meetings, music

Alaska Agriculture Day

March 23, 2009 By coopmarket Leave a Comment

The Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District is trying to organize some new events for Alaska Agriculture Day, May 5th. Events already scheduled include a luncheon presentation about local agriculture at the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce, A Taste of Alaska event at the Morris Thompson Cultural Center, presentations to local schools, and Alaska Grown recognition of restaurants featuring Alaska grown or made items. For more information or to participate, contact Joni Scharfenberg at (907) 978-1727.

Filed Under: Events, Food Tagged With: local food production

Agriculture-related events this week

March 17, 2009 By coopmarket Leave a Comment

Two events of possible interest and relevance to the FCCM’s membership are happening in Fairbanks this week:

the Sustainable Agriculture Conference and Organic Growers’ School (PDF), Tuesday and Wednesday, March 17 & 18, at the Princess Riverside Lodge.

the CSA Roundtable, a gathering of CSA operators (or farmers who are thinking about going to this model) and brainstorming session.

Producers and consumers both may be interested in these events. The retail perspective is where the FCCM comes in, and we may soon be working with local CSA farmers, organic growers, and others interested in sustainable agriculture.

Filed Under: Events, Food, Member education Tagged With: conferences, local food production

Next Page »

Store Hours

  • Monday-Saturday: 8am – 8pm
  • Sunday: 9am – 7pm

 

More About Us

  • Our Mission and Values
  • About

Signup for Email Updates…

Sign up now!

Location

526 Gaffney Road
Fairbanks, AK 99701

  • Become a Co-op Owner
Stronger Together

Alaska Grown

Departments

  • Bulk Foods
  • Deli
  • Grocery
  • Meat & Seafood
  • Produce
  • Wellness

Copyright © 2023 · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Center Street Digital