Food co-ops can be one of the best places for people to learn, train one another, and practice grassroots democracy. I don't want to lose that into the corporate, overly hierarchical paradigm sweeping through so many food co-ops, under the guise of promoting professionalism.
Out of grassroots communities have grown fair trade, demand for food-labeling laws, support for organic and local agriculture, and other developments valued by many, which the major corporate players always said were not practical.
These are all threatened by corruption and greenwashing, when a professional middleman “class” takes control of the rules for operations and the rubrics for success.
For example, many brands featured in the syndicated “Co-op Deals” flyer may be organic, but they are also owned by mega-corporations that fight with huge money and lobbying contributions against the public's right to know what's in their food.