Rainbow Grocery

Information may not be reliable

November 6ht - 7th, 2010
Bring a Rainbow Grocery Reciept to the Green Festival, Dated November 1st - 7th, 2010 with a minimum purchase of 10$ and get in for free!
Information on Coupons
Dear Rainbow Customers,
In the August of 2010 meeting of our collective Membership (of worker-owners) it was decided that Rainbow Grocery would no longer offer 20% off coupons through the phonebook. This month, Sept 2010, is the last month of that particular promotion, and September 30th 2010 is the last day to use an AT&T 20% off coupon.
With 239 members there are often many different reasons for voting one way or another, but one widely agreed upon reason was the desire to find alternatives that reduced waste and decreased congestion in the store. A broad perception was that this coupon promotion was incredibly successful, and yet there were some aspects that posed challenges to our customers and our collective.
We are continuing to find ways to draw more of our communities into Rainbow, diffuse some of the intensity that was generated and offer ways to help our customers save.
We offer a variety of regular discounts that are listed below; in addition we are always looking for new ways to reach out. We will continue to advertise every opportunity through our website, Facebook, Twitter and signs within our store. So please keep an eye out.
Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you, our customers for your patronage and for supporting a local worker owned and operated collective grocery store. Whether you have shopped at Rainbow all 35 years that we have existed, or you came in for the first time today because of your AT&T coupon, we are so happy to see you! We welcome you back and hope we can continue to provide affordable ways to shop consciously and find products that support health and sustainability. Please let us know how we can keep improving.
Everyday discounts we currently offer: Senior (over 60)-10% off everything, Helping Hands-20% off vitamins/10% off everything else, SF Bike Coalition-10% off everything. Volume Discounts for Vitamins & B&B: 10% off $100 purchase, 15% off $200 purchase, 20% off $400 purchase. 10% Case Discount (un-opened).
Information on Bulk Water
Rainbow has decided to stop selling "bulk water" for a period of time.We want to ensure that we can offer the highest quality filtered water consistently. We are researching some alternatives to our current system that may offer benefits in quality and easier maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Rainbow Wins Best Grocery Store!
Rainbow wins in the best bay area grocery store for 2010 in the The SF Bay Guardian's Best of the Bay poll. Featured in its Best of the Bay issue. Check it out here; Bay Guardian poll

Field report on the miraculous Maca from Rainbow worker Gary Pack

Rainbow worker buying maca at the San Pedro Market in Cuzco, Peru.

Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a plant from the highlands of Peru showing promise of being similar to ginseng in improving the activity of multiple organ systems. Maca powder is from a root which grows at the elevation of 4000 to 4500 meters in the Peruvian Andes. Maca is both nutritional and medicinal. Traditional use in Peru has been to improve fertility.
Studies have shown that maca improves learning and memory in mice and is an antidepressant. It is an antioxidant and protects the skin from ultraviolet radiation. In a post-menopausal model in rats, maca improves blood triglyceride levels closer to pre-menopausal levels and may prevent bone loss.
Maca increases sperm counts and sperm motility, without changing testosterone levels. Maca improves sexual activity in men with erectile dysfunction and increases athletic performance and sexual desire. It has been shown to improve prostatic hypertrophy.
Maca is available at Rainbow Grocery in the supplement department as powder and liquid extracts and in the bulk herb department as powder. The powder can be sprinkled on cereals and is tasty when mixed with shakes or yogurt.
For further details, type "Maca" into the search box of our nutritional library located on the right hand side of this home page.
Federal Court Victory: Almond Farmers Can Challenge USDA Pasteurization Rule
Previous ruling has devastated California raw almond producers. On August 3, 2010 the federal appelas court ruled that a group of California almond farmers have the right to challenge a USDA regulation requiring the treatment of their raw almonds with a toxic fumigant or steam heat prior to sale to consumers. For the past three years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has denied American consumers the right to buy raw almongs, grown in the USA, when they shop in grocery and natural food stores.

View the full news release at cornucopia's website here.
CALL TO ACTION! Help The Center for Food Safety and their fight against Genetically engineered Alfalfa!
The Center for Food Safety is heading a call to action for the USDA to prohibit Genetically Engineered Alfalfa. Monsanto has taken this case to the Supreme Court, and the contaminations of non-GE and organic alfalfa hay and seed would devastate livelihoods and organic industry.
Please check out their website here to donate, educate, and take action.
Rainbow Grocery Gets Green Business Re-Certification!

Rainbow becomes the first retail store in San Francisco to go through the city's Green Business re-certification. We earned the Green Certificate three years ago, and have been re-certified in recognition in our efforts to conduct business in a more sustainable way. We have extensive recycling including one of the only businesses in the Bay area that recycle all of our plastic waste including bags and wrappings.
You can check out their website here.
Rainbow Grocery is mighty proud of our own superstar Cheesemonger, Gordon Edgar!
Released January 10th 2010

Witty and irreverent, informative and provocative, Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge is the highly readable story of Gordon Edgars unlikely career as a cheesemonger at San Franciscos worker-owned Rainbow Grocery Cooperative. A former punk-rock political activist, Edgar bluffed his way into his cheese job knowing almost nothing, but quickly discovered a whole world of amazing artisan cheeses. There he developed a deep understanding and respect for the styles, producers, animals, and techniques that go into making great cheese.
With a refreshingly unpretentious sensibility, Edgar intertwines his own life story with his ongoing love affair with cheese, and offers readers an unflinching, highly entertaining on-theground look at Americas growing cheese movement. From problem customers to animal rights, business ethics to taste epiphanies, this book offers something for everyone, including cheese profiles and recommendations for selecting the very bestnot just the most expensivecheeses from the United States and around the world and a look at the struggles dairy farmers face in their attempts to stay on and make their living from the land.
Edgara smart, progressive cheese man with an activists edgeenlightens and delights with his view of the world from behind the cheese counter and his appreciation for the skill and tradition that go into a good wedge of Morbier.
Cheesemonger is the first book of its kinda cheese memoir with attitude and information that will appeal to everyone from serious foodies to urban food activists.
Cheesemonger is available for purchase at Rainbow Grocery! You can also visit the publisher,Chelsea Green's, site, or buy at Amazon.
A Letter from Rainbow PR

While we know our decision to offer these coupons has lead to many new opportunities it has also come with many changes. Our membership has expanded to incorporate new workers/co-owners and our store has become a larger beacon within the Bay Area. Along with these changes, we understand that the customers experience while shopping on a Coupon day can sometimes be a daunting one due to the long lines and crowded atmosphere.

Call (800) 848-8000 to order a free phone book directory.

One of the best things to come from Time Magazine lately, everyone should read this fabulous article on Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food.
Seven Things You Didn't Know About Organic Agriculture

Or maybe you did! Still, a great read from the always exceptional Treehugger.com.
Uplifting News about Detroit's "Quiet Revolution"

Some good news for a change! This article, penned by a 94-year old, details how inner-city gardening is bringing communities & generations together in a city some have written off as a wasteland
Health Experts Renew Call to Ban Aspartame

Falsified data, political interference, & the squashing of a healthy alternative (stevia)-- it's enough to make anyone wonder! Rainbow carries diet sodas containing stevia, incidentally....
The Bay Vs. The Bag

This project of Save the Bay is designed to increase awareness about the huge plastic bag problem. There's a funny short film, information and ways to get involved. While you're there, sign the petition telling the Governor to eliminate plastic bags in California.
Vilsack Adviser Predicts Vegetable Garden On White House Lawn By Summer

The Obama Administration may be the first since WWII to plant a vegetable garden. This article reveals that Michelle Obama is
a big believer in community gardens, both because of their beauty and for their access to providing fresh fruits and vegetables to so many communities across this nation and the world.
Read more at cbsnews.com

People's Fuel is no longer offering Biodiesel at Rainbow Grocery. They are working hard to build a permanent filling station at Rainbow. Check this space for news on its completion.
In the meantime we urge you to visit our friends at Dogpatch Biofuels. They are "San Francisco's first and only public, retail biodiesel-only filling station, carrying B100 biodiesel from local and recycled sources." Check their website for current pricing and hours of operation.
Bringing the Culture Back in Agriculture

Americans have been duped by the myth of mono cultures. This article gives the history and science that explain our mineral-deficient soil.
Optimism Helps Reduce Cancer Pain and Fatigue

Many of us have witnessed the strong empirical evidence that a postive outlook is a powerful weapon in the fight against cancer and other diseases. This article summarizes a study that explains how optimism can be medicine.
The Top 10 Health Breakthroughs of 2008

2008 may mark the year when we started the return to the "roots of wellness." As Byron Richards of NaturalNews.com points out:
The drug-based paradigm of Western medicine is crumbling under the weight of its own massive fraud. New technology is proving how nutrients interact at the fundamental gene level to promote health and prevent disease. The discoveries are occurring at a breakneck pace these are exciting times.
Are The USDA's Organic Standards A Sham?

According Dr. Marion Nestle of NYU, corporate motives have corrupted the intent of the USDA's organic certification program:
As is usual for government agencies in the current political environment, business concerns take precedence. In setting the organic standards, the USDA tackled good and clean (although with some unfortunate compromises), but didn't bother at all with fair or sustainable.
This article by Kerry Trueman delves into issues of trust which are at the hearth of the organics industry.

Rainbow offers free in-store tours by appointment only. Please contact our Public Relations Department and let us know how many people are in your tour, and the date requested. Please keep in mind we don't do any tours on Coupon days which are Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday every other month in 2010.
Contact Public Relations: (415) 863-0620 ext #607

Check the Vitamins page for a complete list of sale items.

Check the Sundries page for a complete list of sale items.

Check the Bath & Body page for a complete list of sale items.

All sale items are available while supplies last and are subject to change at any time.

The Library gives you access to hundreds of medical research reports documenting the power of food as medicine.

Purchase Rainbow Gift Certificates
Get your Rainbow Gift Certificates right here! Get 'em while they're hot!