East End Food Co-op believes that you have the right to know how we choose the products on our shelves. We’ve developed these purchasing guidelines to reflect the core values expressed in our Ends Policy Statement (see above). This guide allows us to make conscious choices that return value to our members, our community, and our planet.
We strive to promote products and methods that are:
- Whole* and minimally processed*
- Local*
- Certified Organic
- Certified Naturally Grown and/or Biodynamic
- Non-GMO Project Verified/Specified Non-GMO
- Certified Fair Trade
- Certified Humane
- Minimally packaged or in recyclable &/or returnable containers
- Produced using humane and ecologically sound methods that don’t exploit people, animals, or our environment
We will not knowingly carry products that:
- Contain artificial ingredients, such as colorings, flavorings, preservatives or additives
- Contain known harmful ingredients such as nitrates or nitrites, synthetic chemicals, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, or MSG
- Contain antibiotics or growth hormones
- Have been tested on animals
*local = within a 250 mile radius of Pittsburgh extending to all of Pennsylvania
*whole = having only one ingredient: itself
*minimally processed = using traditional, low-tech methods of processing or preservation, for example: smoking, roasting, freezing, canning, drying, or fermenting. These techniques do not fundamentally alter or separate whole foods.
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