Grocery co-op in Detroit's North End secures state funding.

[Danny]

You all think a City Target or Meijer's Rivertown Market is good, check this out. This will cut down the food desert problem at Detroit's North End Area.



https://www.crainsdetroit.com/food-d...FPTtWNrAFPcXws

And here is the location...

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3772...7i16384!8i8192

[Seven&wyo]

There’sa grocery store on Claremont just west of Woodward you moron

[Danny]

I know that. I know my hood. However there has a smaller pockets of food deserts within a mile radius in most Detroit ghetto hoods. And some the markets are not even black owned. This now black owned co-op community market will do wonders in the area. And help turn North End Woodward around.

[K-slice]

The whole Detroit "food desert" thing is a myth. Some people just choose to buy all their food from liquor stores and fast food places, no amount of grocery stores is going to change that.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

Debates about the “food desert” aside, a substantial food co-op in a central location directly on Woodward will be a great option. I’d jump at the chance to become a member if I were in the area.

More infill on Woodward and I think the proposed structure looks good.

[Richard]

The whole Detroit "food desert" thing is a myth. Some people just choose to buy all their food from liquor stores and fast food places, no amount of grocery stores is going to change that.

A lot of truth in that,depending on where it is located,the major grocery stores pulled out long ago in my hood,citing high theft costs and flat out said when they offered healthier food choices nobody wanted it.

They said it cost them $5 million to put the store in and the losses exceeded profits,they only make pennies on each item,one gets stolen,they have to sell 10 items at a lose to make up for it.

I live in the hood with a family dollar or dollar general in any direction within 1/2 mile - 5 of them,the nearest full grocery store 6 miles.

They all revamped in the last year to allow more food choices including fresh veggies.

Not sure if it is the same as up there but here practically every hood C - store sells cooked food to go cheap,for less then $5 you can get a cooked meal to go,it does not pay to go and buy food and cook it for many.

Heck they sell brand new T- shirts for $2.50,people buy those,wear them for 3 days and throw it away and buy another,cheaper then doing laundry.

They are putting full grocery stores direct downtown as demand builds,but it is the process that is replacing the low income that is building the demand.

On an off note,they are building a new apartment high rise and protesters were out there saying that it was not right because the units started out at $600,000 so the low income could not afford it.

His reply was,when the rents and prices were low downtown,nobody wanted to live there.

If you think about it,like back in the day the C-Stores are no different then all the little corner markets,if they can make profit selling bananas they would sell bananas,they are selling what the market demands.

I drive the 6 miles to go do major grocery shopping,once a month,so how many time does one really have to go,I know others that go every day,major waste of money.

The main issue in the past,in the lower income areas was the lack of transportation to get to the main store,but now everybody has a cell phone and the stores can bring it right to the front door,you do not have to go anywhere.

[313WX]

The whole Detroit "food desert" thing is a myth. Some people just choose to buy all their food from liquor stores and fast food places, no amount of grocery stores is going to change that.

As someone else said, the "food desert" topic in Detroit is hotly debated and not as simple of a "myth" as you're making it out to be.

It's not just about the quantity of grocery stores in the city, but also the quality. There have been numerous articles about the Chaldean-owned markets consistently selling expired or rotten food at high markups, and majority of the stores in Detroit that they own are suffering from issues such as basic maintenance/renovation that has been long-deferred, limited product selection and the lack of frills [[deli, bakery, etc.) found in your typical working class/middle class neighborhood. And I won't even get into the deep racial tension that hs existed forever now between the Chaldean owners/family members who staff these markets and the residents in the community [[mostly African-American) they serve.

It has gotten a bit better since the opening of the Meijer stores in the city, but there are still huge swath of the cities that don't have readily available access to them.

And yes, I'm well aware of the reasons why Detroit has these problems with grocery stores. But that doesn't change the fact that it's still a problem.

But in any event, this is definitely a debate to continue in another thread.

[Richard]

^ do not take this personally but that is like saying it is the Chaldean’s fault,you know as well as I do African Americans are no different then anybody else when it comes to business sense or the ability to open a business or in the ability to generate funds in order to go into business.

But they choose not to open C-Stores in the hood,why is that?

If outdated goods are being sold to the public,local representatives need to be notified,I know of none that would allow that anywhere else.

[313WX]

If outdated goods are being sold to the public,local representatives need to be notified,I know of none that would allow that anywhere else.

As I'm sure you know, it's an issue where the fix is a lot more complicated that "notifying local representatives."

Authorities are well aware that the average store operating in Detroit violates all sorts of health/safety regulations. But besides the fact that the resources for enforcement are limited [[that's what happens when you're in an effectively bankrupt city where 1/3 of the population is in poverty and job creators have all but abandoned it), it's one of those situations where everyone kind of turns their head away from the situation because if they press it too hard, then the store owners that *DO* take a risk on operating in the city will just close shop and leave, which won't make the situation better. These same store owners are already operating under the assumption that they're doing charity work by serving local residents who have limited options, despite just doing the bare minimum at best to serve them.

[313WX]

^ do not take this personally but that is like saying it is the Chaldean’s fault...

The reasons why there's a pervasive problem of poorly run grocery stores in Detroit [[which goes back to a broader discussion about the reasons for Detroit's decline in general) isn't the Chaldeans' fault, but Chaldeans have been using their exclusive access to capital over the year [[see the source below) to profit off what is a desperate situation in the city by operating stores that are of mediocre quality at best.

https://georgeco.com/the-chaldean-go...april-25-1988/

[Richard]

The reasons why there's a pervasive problem of poorly run grocery stores in Detroit [[which goes back to a broader discussion about the reasons for Detroit's decline in general) isn't the Chaldeans' fault, but Chaldeans have been using their exclusive access to capital over the year [[see the source below) to profit off what is a desperate situation in the city by operating stores that are of mediocre quality at best.

https://georgeco.com/the-chaldean-go...april-25-1988/

Sorry for the misunderstanding,In Florida the health department is run by the state and not the cities,hood store or not they do not play around,is the health department that regulates health and food safety in Detroit run by the city or state?

As far as the Chaldeans running control over Detroit C-Stores - How many Hood C-Stores are owned by African Americans in Atlanta?

I can tell you out of the thousands in East,Central and West Florida there are zero hood C-Stores owned by African Americans,they just are not that crazy.

It’s a hard job that you go to every day and never know if you are going back home alive at any given time.

Who wants to be stuck in a box of bullet proof glass talking to people through little tiny holes that are threatening you all day long.

A majority of the customers are pretty cool but there is that 20% that nobody wants to deal with and they have zero concept of being treated nice or treating anybody nice.

Thats where the rift comes in,the store owners get jaded and treat everybody like crap,because if you start being nice,that is a sign of weakness and it gets you dead.

That is not a food desert problem it is a community behavioral problem.

Anyways

The Food Co op is a pretty good thing if it is run right and the concept is expanded overseas when it comes to closed down factories,the workers get together and reopen the factory as a co op.

There is one that makes parts for John Deer and International and the workers run it and experience the feast or famine aspect of business.

But it works.

[Danny]

Take a look at the food desert problem in this Detroit West Side hood.

There is a two mile difference of the 'food desert' core. Chadsey-Condon, Core City, North Corktown even on Corktown area.

https://www.google.com/maps/search/G.../data=!3m1!1e3

Food deserts are created because of bad hoods and lots of businesses and homes are are long gone. When the regional job base is gone, people in their homes lose their jobs, customer base, people move out, folks who stay waiting for hope will end up be victims of facing sudden blight, folks who don't want to wait for hope will go into gangs, drugs and crimes just a make a quick buck. As this blight continues more food deserts pop up. How are those remaining neighbors in those will find a closet supermarket?

There are small markets in the area, but some of them don't open until whatever they feel like it.

[Richard]

That’s just basic economics,there is not enough of a base for a business to draw from,so you get little micro neighborhoods that are like living in the country where there is not a store on every corner,most likely if they are opening when they want to,it’s because they have figured out peak profit times and open accordingly.

Like I posted earlier,it is a business where you only make pennies per sale,you really have to have a high turnover of product in order to make profit.

The CO Op concept can be a good thing if they use local farmers .

[stasu1213]

There’sa grocery store on Claremont just west of Woodward you moron

How about a good store that have decent prices and no outdated products

[stasu1213]

I welcome any store that is not owned by certain families who own other stores in the city and probably pay off the Health Department not to come around to check their products and the cleanliness of their stores.

[Zacha341]

Why? You don't like the $4.49 jar of Miracle Whip [short dated]? ----

How about a good store that have decent prices and no outdated products

[Richard]

The way it is going with everyday with a new warning it seems outdated product’s are just as bad as new products,now it is onions,last week it was beef,it’s like rolling the dice going grocery shopping anymore.

What makes it difficult is this put out by the FDA

According to the FDA, there is no uniform dating system. In fact, manufacturers aren’t even required to put quality-based labels on food, unless it’s baby formula. So those dates put on canned food is arbitrary. They are there just to make the consumer feel good about what they are purchasing.

And according to the USDA, low acid foods are good for 2 to 5 years. If cans are in good condition, with no obvious signs of damage, they are safe to eat indefinitely.



I kinda disagree with that,I bought a house that still had canned goods left over from the 1950s,spam etc.

It did not look to good to eat once opened,the cats enjoyed it though.

And we all know a Twinkie will most likely be edible for at least 100 years.

Our state health department regulates cooked food in connivence stores and dairy products sold,but apparently everything else is buyer beware.

[Gistok]

^
If packaged canned pieces of Queen Victoria & Prince Albert's 1840 wedding cake are still good, then Twinkies should be edible for at least 200 years!

[bust]

The co-op sounds great.
A store run by people who shop there doesn't sell old food.
Old food -- even expired and re-labeled food -- is unfortunately a problem not limited to affordable neighborhoods, though I don't doubt it happens more.

Speaking of old Twinkies...



Scientists Study Twinkie Mummified by Mold
Tests on the eight-year-old snack food put the myth of the immortal Twinkie to rest
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart...old-180976127/

[softailrider]

I’m sorry I clicked on that.

[Gistok]

I’m sorry I clicked on that.

I made the same mistake by looking at surviving slices of 1840 Queen Victoria wedding cake...