Submitted by the Orcas Food Co-op.

For many of us fortunate enough to be able to purchase our food from a grocery store, rarely do we give ourselves the opportunity to inquire into the companies selling us the food. Who owns the grocery stores we shop at? What influence do these often national or multinational chains exert on the production, processing and distribution of food? How do these retailers contribute to the health and well-being of the communities they operate in? These are just some of the big questions probed in “Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants” — a new book from journalist Jon Steinman.

To launch the book, he is touring across the U.S. and Canada throughout 2019 with visits to upwards of 130 food co-ops from coast to coast. The tour runs from April through December.

The Orcas Food Co-op will host Steinman for his book tour appearance on Orcas in the co-op commons on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m.

“There is this fascinating interest among people of all walks of life to inquire more deeply into the food we feed ourselves and our families,” says Steinman. “This new era of food literacy is unlike anything we’ve ever seen, and yet one of the most influential forces shaping the food supply has surprisingly evaded attention – the grocery store – the epicenter of our food gathering ritual.”