Monday 7 February 2011

A Supermarket by the people and for the people.


At long last there is an alternative to the supermarket monopoly. Channel 4 is currently showing a series called The People’s Supermarket. It's about the efforts of eco chef Arthur Potts-Dawson who has created a Supermarket which is owned, run and for the people. It’s all so inspiring and offers a genuine alternative place to shop, but where the prices are as low as those people have come to

Potts-Dawson has long been appalled at the practices of supermarkets, how they throw away thousands of tonnes of perfectly edible food each week, and how they are driving many farmers and producers out of business, by refusing to pay decent prices for the produce they buy from them.  Now he has crated a supermarket with supermarket prices, but where producers and farmers are given proper rates for their produce. The business is a co op and is owned by it's member, who all work in the store for a couple of hours a month.

The People’s Supermarket Mission statement:

Our vision is to create a commercially sustainable, social enterprise that achieves its growth and profitability targets whilst operating within values based on community development and cohesion. Our intent is to offer an alternative food buying network, by connecting an urban community with the local farming community.
Vision and Values:
The Supermarket is a sustainable food cooperative that responds to the needs of the local community and provides healthy, local food at reasonable prices. To this end, we believe in a series of key values, which guide our philosophy and management approach. We seek:
-  To create a supermarket that meets the needs of its members and the local community by offering high quality, healthy food at reasonable prices.
-  To buy from trusted suppliers with whom we develop mutually sustaining relationships.
-  To buy British produce where possible, and produce local to London.
-  Provide choice and information to our members to help them make healthy decisions.
-  To create a community supermarket that highlights the possibilities of consumer power and challenges the status quo.
-  To minimise wastage, by creating prepared dishes from food coming up to its sell-by date, and by composting all other waste material.
-  To provide inspirational training and life skill opportunities to the local community
-  To create a working environment that values every one’s contribution, is welcoming, safe and non-judgmental
-  To be a training and development resource for our community.
-  To buy sustainable energy and other inputs, and to promote alternative, forward thinking ideas and solutions.


The People’s Kitchen

In recent weeks the supermarket has also opened its own in-store kitchen — The People’s Kitchen. This serves up food cooked by chef Potts-Dawson, using ingredients from the supermarket itself.

Watch the series here
Click onto the Peoples Supermarket website here.

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