Department

Request/Comment

Response from the Co-op

Request We Carry:

Caramel Malk Creamer. When I have purchased this at other stores, it is always the 1st to run out – that tells me its really popular

Response:

Called and spoke to. Bringing product in in January.

-Ryan V, Center Store Manager

Request We Carry:

I’d like a yogurt that’s:
1. Organic 2. Greek 3. lowfat
I don’t see one on the shelves.

Email Response:

I am happy to say that we do carry an organic greek low-fat yogurt from Straus. It was unfortunately out of stock for about a month or so, but is back in! Please feel free to ask any staff member if you need help locating the item! If you have any other questions, please let me know!

-Ryan V, Center Store Manager

Comment:

$5.49 for 1 qt, of Organic Clover half and half? What are your profit margins on this item?

Response:

Left message. Called the store back, spoke to about pricing. Was never priced at $5.49. She was happy to hear back!

Request We Carry:
Garam Masala & Whole Mustard Seeds

Comment: The spices were the best part of the Co-op and now there are so few of them. What happened?

Email Response:

Thank you for using our suggestion box! I have received a lot of requests for mustard seeds. Are you interested in either brown or yellow? I am currently working on making more space in our bulk area to bring back some highly requested spices including the two you suggested. If you have any other questions or suggestions, please let me know!

-Ryan V, Center Store Manager

Comment:

The Co-op brand B12 versions say that they are formulated to pass through the stomach to be absorbed in the small intestine. However, B12 needs to be exposed to the stomach juices where it is exposed to “intrinsic factor” that is produced by parietal cells in the stomach. The intrinsic factor attaches to the B12 and then this is the handle that is used in the small intestine to attach to and absorb the B12. If the B12 passes through the stomach without attaching to the intrinsic factor, it cannot be absorbed in the small intestine so there is no point in taking B12. Why is the Co-op producing a product that likely does little or nothing to actually supplement B12? This seems more than unhelpful to our community.

Email Response:

Happy to provide some clarification here!   While intrinsic factor does play a role in vitamin B12 absorption, it does not bind to vitamin B12 in the stomach,  but rather the small intestine. Here’s an overview of vitamin B12 absorption, which may be helpful to you and other customers…
The thought, smell, or taste of food will cause vagal stimulation of the G cells located in the stomach, triggering the release of gastrin. This circulating gastrin then triggers the release of histamine which stimulates the parietal cells of the stomach to secrete stomach acid, pepsin (a protein-degrading enzyme), and intrinsic factor ahead of food arrival in the stomach (1).Because dietary vitamin B12 is bound to protein in food, it must be released from the protein before it can be absorbed. That said, once the food reaches the stomach,  the protein-digesting effect of pepsin and the low pH environment liberate the vitamin B12 encapsulated in the food (2).Haptocorrin, a cobalamin-binding protein produced in the saliva, then binds to this freed vitamin B12 in the stomach. Because haptocorrin is resistant to stomach acid and pepsin, freed vitamin B12 binds to haptocorrin in this way for protection from acid deformation (2).Vitamin B12 bound to haptocorrin will then enter the duodenum, the first portion of the small intestine.Once in the duodenum (i.e. small intestine), trypsin and chymotrypsin – two proteases (protein-digesting enzymes) released by the pancreas – will degrade the haptocorrin component, freeing vitamin B12 (2).Once vitamin B12 is freed from haptocorrin in the duodenum, intrinsic factor will bind to it (2). Its important to note that intrinsic factor only binds to active vitamin B12 that has not been degraded by the stomach acid, ensuring that inactive analogs (i.e. forms that have been degraded by the stomach acid) are excreted from the body.This vitamin B12-intrinsic factor complex is then absorbed in the distal ileum (i.e. the last portion of the small intestine) by receptor-mediated endocytosis (2).
With the above mechanism in mind, yes, intrinsic factor is produced by the parietal cells of the stomach, but it does not bind to vitamin B12 until they reach the duodenum, or the first portion of the small intestine. That being said, because the vitamin B12 in our supplements are not bound to protein like dietary B12 is, supplemental vitamin B12 does not have to undergo the separation listed in step 2. Because it is free vitamin B12, it could be degraded by stomach acid before it can bind to intrinsic factor in the small intestine, forming inactive analogs, if there is no protection mechanism present. And as mentioned in step 6 above, intrinsic factor will not bind to inactive analogs, instead ensuring that they are eliminated from the body. Because of this, we use a unique ion exchange resin in our B12 products to protect the free vitamin B12 so that it is not inactivated by the stomach acid, instead reaching the duodenum where it can bind to intrinsic factor.
Should the customer be interested in how this protection mechanism works, this ion exchange resin is negatively charged, compared to positively charged free vitamin B12. Because they are opposite charges, this resin electrostatically binds to vitamin B12 forming a complex that is not freely soluble, so the stomach acid cannot degrade it. Once this resin-B12 complex moves into the small intestine where the pH increases, concentrations of other positively-charged molecules like sodium (Na⁺) and potassium (K⁺) increase. Because these molecules are positively charged like vitamin B12, they will complete for binding on this resin, displacing the vitamin B12. This causes the gradual release of free vitamin B12 from the resin, allowing it to bind to intrinsic factor in the small intestine for absorption. Ultimately, this protection mechanism allows for better, more stable B12 absorption and minimizes its degradation in the stomach.
I hope this helps, but please let us know if you have any additional questions!

-Wellness Manager

There was a problem with staff or service:

I was really disappointed recently to see that there’s a security guard now lurking ominously outside of our co-op. But today I saw much worse: standing on the *public sidewalk,* by the tree at 6th and G, cops harassed a Muslim woman with a cardboard begging sign, her infant in a stroller before her. Another co-op owner and I came to her aid to make sure they did nothing illegal to her. They were threatening, invasive and made everybody feel unsafe – the cops I mean. The cop told us that the security guard called the police for assistance.
It’s already distasteful enough that the Co-op feels compelled to frighten away *people in need* with a rent-a-badge – I knew I should have said something before today.

We want to care for our neighbors, not treat them as pariahs. When police get called, lives are put at risk. Racism may have been at play. This woman may have been *caged and disappeared,* along with her child – especiallyin the current political climate. If we do not work *together, outside of law enforcement* and learn to resolve our own conflicts, then we will all end up in cages.

People were spending money at our store to make sure that the lady and that baby stayed warm and fed. She was on public property. But because someone decided they didn’t like her sign or hijab or existence, men with guns and the authority of a violent state chased her off – and of course the police-provided alternatives to that had been worse, devastating, and vile.

I understand that the co-op does its best to service our community. But that security guard, and poorly trained “peacekeepers,” [lmao – it takes more hours in California to become a cosmetologist that a cop, btw] armed people *looking for reasons to cage people* is not now, not ever how we will accomplish that.

Perhaps we can ask local organizations more versed in these matters how to engage in other techniques for resolving some of those issues which concern our co-op. We can direct people towards better support (both I and the other owner provided info and resources), we can learn deescalation and other community supportive tactics.

But watching people get harassed and their lives subverted, possibly ruined, or even ended, for being poor in front of the Co-Op – WTAF. No one wants that.

What the hell is wrong with us, that now, after all these years, the Co-Op is shoving Muslim ladies with strollers into the street from a place she has every right to be. Shameful. Gross.

Disappointed in us.

Email Response:

I received your feedback submission. From what I understand you witnessed the interaction police had with the woman who was soliciting outside of our store. While I can’t speak for how the police interacted with the woman, I can speak for the interactions our security and I had with the woman earlier that day. For context soliciting is not permitted on our property, we cannot make exceptions due to this being grounds for discrimination. Anyone who solicits on our property is asked to place their signs away and we let them know that they are free to use our tables or space so long they are not soliciting. Our security shared this with the woman earlier that day and shared local resources for her to access food, help, and shelter in town. The woman was not interested in those resources and dismissed our soliciting policy and options to use our space in a different way. Later that afternoon, I personally approached the woman who was still soliciting and stopping cars coming in and out of the parking lot which is not only not permitted but also a big safety concern (she seemed to be crossing back and forth while leaving her baby in the stroller on the corner). The woman was dismissive again and was not respecting our boundaries or policy and let me know that I didn’t need to be concerned. Neither myself nor the security guard were aggressive; we attempted to direct her towards resources, options, and expressed concern for her and her child. When she became defensive, we disengaged and left her alone. I assure you that as a woman, mother, and minority, I feel strongly against racism and it was not at play in my decision to approach the woman. You are correct that the Davis Food Co-op does its best to serve people in our community but we also have an obligation to address safety concerns and uphold our patio and space policy. We also want to help everyone in our community and we always offer resources and connections such as food access points, Empower Yolo, and the local shelters such as Davis Community Meals & Housing which also offers financial resources to get people back on their feet.

We understand how difficult it is during these times of increased needs. At The Co-op, we invest to financially support our amazing non-profits in town so that they can continue to help and expand impact. This month we are partnering with Yolo Food Bank and have already donated over $10,000 in gift cards and over $3,000 in Turkeys for Thanksgiving. Every Christmas Eve we host a Holiday Meal for all to join to ensure no one is spending the holidays alone and for all to access a hot meal. Empower Yolo is also an org that we work with for our donation program. We are hopeful that if we all do our part, we can help those in need.

-Laura S., General Manager