I was disappointed this week to read that Madison Market, one of my favorite places to shop, has been disciplined by the National Organic Program for inadequate record keeping and insufficient documentation about their suppliers' production practices. I wasn't disappointed that they had betrayed my trust by not adequately vetting their products. I'm already convinced of their integrity. I was disappointed because it's a shame to see them struggling to meet standards that may not involve the best use of their time and resources.
I owned a wholesale company many years ago selling prepared food to natural foods stores and university cafeterias. When I first approached the other coop chain in town, their buyer told me that they didn't like to deal with small companies because it created too much work for the bookkeeping department. But when I brought my products to Central Coop, the previous incarnation of Madison Market, they were downright eager to work with a fledgeling local company. When the other coop chain features local farmers, they always work with the biggest regional growers. When Madison Market features local farmers, they also showcase small-scale operations.
I've been shopping at Madison Market fairly often the past few months because it's so close to my new kitchen. I love going in there, and I feel like they really walk the walk. They've got great products, including plenty of unusual stuff, and their organic produce prices are wonderfully fair. It actually feels like a coop.
I'm not troubled by their difficulty keeping up with their paperwork for the same reasons that I choose to shop at farmers' markets. Personally, I'd rather buy an item that hasn't been certified organic directly from the person who grew it, than an organic item from a chain store. I often don't keep up on my paperwork, either.
(By the way, the info about their noncompliance came from the Sustainable Food News. I'm linking to it, even though you can't actually read the article without a subscription. You can get a free 2 week trial subscription, though. It's a great resource, but pricey. Not pricey in the sense that it's not worth what they charge, but pricey in the sense that it's more than most people are going to spend for this kind of information.)
1 comment:
Hello, Devra.
My name is Caple, and I work for Central Co-op. We are not subscribed to Sustainable Food News; however, I conferred with general manager Reese Williams, and she had this to say in response to your post:
"Violation was in 2006, a proposed suspension for non-compliance with recordkeeping, it was resolved and settled, and our certification has remained in good standing ever since. Our most recent certification was issued with a 'condition' that 'organic product verification needs improved'. Basically, the inspector found products on the shelves that we did not have certificates on file for; this was a personnel issue that was resolved - someone put new product on the shelves before receiving the certificates. We have yet to receive a response about our reply on this matter."
We appreciate your awesome support of our co-op and hope this comment assuages your concerns.
Feel free to get in touch should you like to chat: caplemelton_at_madisonmarket.coop.
In cooperation,
Caple
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