Maryland Food Collective

Maryland Food Collective
IndustryFood service
FoundedCollege Park, Maryland, U.S. (August 1975 (1975-08))[1]
FounderMatt Mayer[1]
DefunctMay 31, 2019
Headquarters
College Park, Maryland
,
United States
Number of locations
1
Area served
University of Maryland
ProductsSandwiches, Vegan food, Vegetarian food, Gluten-free food, Organic food, Local food, Fair trade goods
ServicesCatering, Take-out[2]
Number of employees
17 worker-owners, many more volunteers[1][3]
Websitethestamp.umd.edu/food/md_food_co-op

Maryland Food Collective, popularly known as The Co-op, was a worker-owned collective at the University of Maryland.[2][4] The organization was founded in 1975 under a cooperative business structure with the goal of providing nutritious food.[1] It operated under the motto, "Food for people, not for profit".[2]

The student business was recognized as historically significant by the Smithsonian,[5] with two of its posters currently being showcased in the National Museum of American History's Voting With Your Fork exhibit[6] about alternative food systems, such as co-ops, that Americans have used as political tools to promote social, economic, environmental, and food justice.[7]

  1. ^ a b c d Maryland Food Collective records. Special Collections and University Archives, University of Maryland.
  2. ^ a b c "About". Maryland Food Collective. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference editorial was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Maryland Food Collective Business Plan, Draft 1" (PDF). CoFED. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  5. ^ Dubb, Steve (2019-05-06). "A 43-Year-Old University of Maryland Food Co-op Struggles for Survival". Nonprofit Quarterly. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
  6. ^ "Maryland Food Co-Op 10th Anniversary Poster". National Museum of American History. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
  7. ^ "Voting With Your Fork". National Museum of American History. 2013-08-16. Retrieved 2020-07-15.