The proposal to boycott Israeli goods currently before the Food Co-op Board of Directors has garnered a lot of community attention. It is important to clarify a few issues.
The board has not approved this proposal. The proposal is under consideration by the board, and a decision is expected to be made at our next board meeting on Sept. 21.
The boycott proposal was submitted to the board of directors by a group of member-owners in accordance with our boycott policy. The proposal was submitted at the July board meeting. The board voted (four in favor, one abstention, one opposed) to send the proposal to the Product Research Committee for review.
As part of the boycott proposal review process, the co-op takes the following steps:
• Review of the proposal itself.
• A store analysis including what products would be affected, sales associated with those products, etc.
• An educational posting next to the products that would be affected by the proposed boycott.
• Solicitation of member-owner feedback and input.
To date, the board has received hundreds of written comments regarding the boycott proposal.
The board will hold a meeting to consider the proposal on Tuesday, Sept. 21. Member-owner comments will be taken at the beginning of the meeting. Subsequently, the board will deliberate regarding the proposal and is expected to take action that evening. Member-owners of the Food Co-op are encouraged to attend.
Additional information regarding the proposal, meeting location, etc., can be found at
foodcoop.coop and will be posted at the store.
SAM GIBBONEY
president, Food Co-op Board of Directors
Letter Source