Please only sign if you are a current member of the coop!

Eden Foods is a locally-based company producing a wide range of high-quality natural foods. They have been an industry leader in promoting organic foods, sustainable agriculture, and safe packaging. While the company receives high marks for its ingredients and low-impact environmental production, they have taken a stand in relation to their female employees that has caused many around the country to withdraw support for the company.

Eden Foods’ owner, Michael Potter, personally opposes all forms of birth control. He unsuccessfully sued the Obama administration over the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that health insurance cover all Food and Drug Administration-approved forms of birth control. While his case was originally denied, the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby decision from June 2014 opened the door on this issue again. The ruling in that case suggested that “closely held” private companies could opt out of covering some types of birth control products to which employers objected on religious grounds. Potter is choosing to go further by cutting all health insurance coverage for birth control for Eden’s female employees, effectively imposing his own religious beliefs inequitably on the company’s female workers irrespective of the beliefs of the employees.

Continuing to sell Eden Foods products raises the question of whether Ypsilanti Food Co-op is complicit in the unfair treatment of female employees at Eden Foods. Section 2.3 of the Ypsilanti Food Co-op’s Bylaws states: “The co-op views itself as part of a larger social and political movement directed toward creating a society which holds the welfare of all human beings as an important principle. We feel solidarity with other people, other groups, and especially with other cooperatives that are equally committed to providing people with the knowledge and resources necessary to control their own lives.”

Below is a current list of Food Cooperatives that have already removed Eden Foods from their shelves:

Willy Street Co-op: Madison, WI

Other Avenues: San Francisco, CA

Central Co-op: Seattle, WA

Glut Food: Mt. Rainier, MD

Weaver Street Market: Carrboro, NC

Wheatsville Food Coop: TX