On Wednesday, a new “bread riot” culminated in a protest train in Sunnfjord in Vestland. More than a hundred people took to the streets to mark their dissatisfaction with the fact that the Coop cooperative will increase the margins on the bread hall. – I didn’t set foot on a Coop before they turned around, says Coop member for 70 years Aud Tefre to newspaper Firda. In August, the chain announced that it was changing its bread supplier, and that the local bakery, which has existed since 1888, would play a smaller role. It was the beginning of a value-political rebellion that has since been allowed to ferment and grow, with the halibut bake as a concrete and symbolic pivot point. Furthermore, the bread rebellion derives its sustenance from an expectation that the jointly owned Coop cooperative will serve the local community and have a higher calling than just profit maximization. Klassekampen writes that the bread protests believe that it has become more difficult to separate the cooperative from a group that governs according to “ordinary” corporate economic principles: – Coop is still without capitalist owners, but the democratic structures in the cooperative are so impoverished that the local population has little to say, write newspaper. See what Coop replies further down. A new Westland rebellion is rising. This time it’s about bread products. – Can’t they just eat cake? Bread has great symbolic power and has historically been the focal point of hard fronts. In 1789, it was the citizens of Paris who took to the streets in protest against a “tone-deaf” decision-maker who did not understand the value of good, short-leavened bread. – Can’t they just eat cake? Queen Marie Antoinette is said to have signed off. In 1413, the king agreed to allow the cobblers in Oslo to set up their own bakery, after a long conflict with the bakers in the city. The condition was that the bread should be intermediate, and that the cobblers did not bake for further sale. Columbia pictures The film In Sofia Coppola’s film, Marie-Antoinette is frivolous and frivolous, munching on macaroons around the clock. Public domain Paris, 1765 When the people were starving in Paris in 1765, 10-year-old Marie Antoinette is said to have quipped: If people don’t have bread, they can eat cake. Jean-Jacques Rousseau told the story for the first time in his diaries, which were published in 1782. Naustdal steam bakery Naustdal steam bakery Naustdal steam bakery was started by Ole Berntsen in 1888, and today it is his great-grandson Martin Berntsen who runs the bakery. Javad Parsa / NTB Trygve Slagsvold Vedum In 2017, bread was called the big loser when Ikea was allowed to build a warehouse on Delijorden in Vestby. According to Center Party leader Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, the building would support the production of 50,000 loaves of bread every single year. Faktisk.no checked the claim and concluded that he was “completely wrong”. news Matzah We know from the Bible that leavened bread was used by the Jews. But in memory of the exodus from Egypt, unleavened bread was to be eaten. news Håkon HåkonssonIn the saga of Håkon Håkonsson, the author tells that “The earl gave the king’s son fine halibut bread, thickly baked and so soft that one could fold it together”. Public domain Paul III In 1540 Pope Paul III imposed an unpopular tax on salt in Italy. Farmers responded by baking their bread without salt, and suddenly bruschetta was created. – We stand in a dilemma between the basic values. The battle between the stock exchange and the cathedral also lies beneath the noise in the farmers’ cooperative – Nortura. – We are at a crossroads between the core values of the co-operative, said Nortura director Kjell S. Rakkenes to news last year. He pointed to the pressure from two sides: The pressure from new sustainability strategies which say that Norwegians should eat less meat. The pressure from the food giants who create their own value chains completely independent of Nortura. Former general secretary of the Farmers’ and Small Farmers’ Association, Anders Nordstad, is critical of the development of a “closed system” where the grocery chains take control and ownership of the entire value chain. – In general, the development has led to less diversity. In addition, it goes beyond jobs, local value creation and identity. None of these aspects of the development towards full vertical integration is to the advantage of the customers. – What are the consequences of large chains investing more in their own brands? – Own brands actually have only one purpose, and that is to capture the added value that lies in local, regional or national brands. Coop: – Protest marches and announcements are a signal that we take seriously Harald Kristiansen, director of communications at Coop: – Coop’s ownership model and democratic organization are the same now, as when the co-operative was formed in the middle of the 19th century. Coop is owned by the 2.5 million members of the co-operative society, who share the profits from the business. Although we are a cooperative and share the surplus with our customers, we operate in the same market as our competitors. This means that we have to operate financially soundly. Norwegians have less and less bread, and there is a shift from traditional fresh bread to store-bought bread. Coop has a long tradition of owning its own industry, and has its own bakery in several places in the country. It gives advantages of scale to use available capacity with these. In order for us to be able to offer a good selection of bread at reasonable prices to our customers, we are forced to change our bread agreements. Economies of scale provide financial advantages for the cooperative locally, which in turn will benefit our customers through competitive prices, campaigns and offers. It is never lightly to have to reduce cooperation with a local supplier and we of course understand that it creates reactions when this happens with Naustdal Dampbakeri. We would like to emphasize that we will continue to sell bread from Naustdal Dampbakeri in our stores in Førde, Florø and Naustdal. Local food from local suppliers is important to us, and we will continue to have a large selection of local food in our stores. Coop is an important part of the local business community in many places in the country. We have, in the same way as other players, a responsibility for the profitable operation of our stores and secure local jobs and businesses. We also make demanding decisions for our own business. An example of this is that we have had to go to the step of discontinuing the Goman bakery at Hønefoss, because the markets are changing. Protest marches and announcements are a strong signal that we take seriously. At the same time, we experience that there are also many people who join Coop Nordvest. It shows that customers see the value of Coop membership. – Double dose of paperbacks and knickers Last week, the co-operative suffered another reputational blow when the board of Coop Nordvest decided to close two branches. – I am angry and pissed off, said Høyanger mayor Petter Sortland (Ap) to newspaper Firda. – There was no shortage of words of praise when they took over. Instead, the fresh produce counter disappeared, and we got a double dose of paperbacks and knickers. In my mind, it doesn’t belong in a grocery store. Attande in Førde, initiator Vidar Sandal appeals to the bread-protestants in attendance: – Now it’s pinadø enough, he says. – This is about consumer power. Coop must take the signal from the members and the people! Published 31.08.2024, at 17.31
ttn-69
Coop members demand local baked goods – news Vestland
