Student-Run Co-ops

To fight off plans for a Panda Express on the UC Berkeley campus, a group of students fundraised $100,000 to replace the chain with a student-run food co-op. The Berkeley Student Food Collective (BSFC) opened its doors late last year, and offers fresh, locally produced foods. Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive (CoFed), a training program enabling students to create co-ops on campus, also recently launched. More than 30 students from 10 campuses across the country participated in a leadership training retreat last month. “It’s really about food sovereignty, students having control over the institutions that serve them food,” says Yoni Landau, one of the BSFC organizers and CoFed Director.