Food co-ops make a difference every day, empowering people from all walks of life to work together to improve access to healthy, affordable food, support local producers, and build stronger, more resilient and sustainable communities.
Many people are unaware of how many food co-ops there are in the Northeast and the impact they have in their communities every day. We’re working together to change that.
One of the first projects that the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) worked on together was a 2008 study that revealed the impressive and sometimes unexpected economic impact of community co-operatives. For example, food co-ops were revealed to be engines of the regional economy, purchasing more than $33 million in products from local producers. It was also revealed that, taken together, our Vermont members were among the top 25 employers in the state.
Building on the success of this research, the NFCA conducts an Annual Impact Survey to help us measure, communicate, and increase the contributions that food co-ops make to their communities across the Northeast U.S. Some examples from our study for 2024 include:
This information helps our food co-ops communicate the difference they make locally, and the collective impact we have across the region. It also helps us tell our story in the press, through regional advertising, outreach at events, and before activists and policymakers, increasing awareness of the co-operative difference.
These activities are supported by the member co-ops of the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA), with the additional support of these partner organizations.
