<p>Coosemans Los Angeles Shipping has been supporting the Los Angeles Food Policy Council (LAFPC) since its inception in 2011.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The LAFPC works with policy-makers and academics to improve the ways in which food is distributed in LA County. The non-profit described its mission as, "A collective impact initiative, working to <b>make Southern California a Good Food region for everyone</b>—where food is healthy, affordable, fair and sustainable."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Coosemans Los Angeles Shipping has partnerships with regional fruit and vegetable suppliers which allow for the enhanced availability of fresh local produce, according to a press release.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Coosemans is involved in <b>a partnership between produce distributors, growers, the families</b> who qualify for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the WIC-only retailers.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Coosemans LA Shipping Director of Business Development, Jill Overdorf, described the arrangement as "a win-win-win". Growers' <b>fruit that is cosmetically blemished or undersized for the specifications of most retailers but otherwise perfectly delicious and wholesome</b> can now be sold to WIC-only stores at a discounted price, making it more available to needy families.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"This is fruit that may otherwise be discarded by the suppliers and the costs associated with its production taken as a total loss," explained Overdorf.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Coosemans LA Shipping arranges for fruit to be bagged by growers, which reduces its costs while maintaining a slim margin.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The program supplies popular items including petite avocados, bagged organic Valencia oranges, organic heirloom Washington navel oranges, organic Crimson Gold apples and Ojai Pixie tangerines.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">During the initial four years, the program sold roughly <b>400 tons</b> of local specialty produce at well below regular wholesale prices.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"Of course we need to look after our bottom line, but it’s important to strive for collaborative and community-based ways to approach profitability. That kind of philosophy and commitment to transparent negotiations make this kind of model possible."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">In an effort to expand the program's model to small local retailers, Coosemans LA Shipping is now working with LA Food Policy Council's LA Corner Market Program. This will provide underserved neighborhoods with affordable produce. It's just another example of how for-profit and non-profit entities can partner together in the produce industry to ensure access to fresh, local, seasonal, and high quality produce.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://weshipproduce.com/" target="_new"> Coosemans LA Shipping </a><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://goodfoodla.org/" target="_new"> LA Food Policy Council (LAFPC) </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
