Any store gathers a community of like minded people. A feed store attracts the agricultural community, and an auto parts store gathers those interested in motor vehicles. People make political and social choices when they shop: they "vote with their dollars," deciding who and what they will associate with and support.
A health food store first and foremost offers a community another way to make informed consumer choices. It can gather people from many walks of life around the issues of environment, agriculture, health, social justice and economy. It creates community health on many fronts. It recognizes the value of offering a community food with organic certification, high nutritional value, proven health benefits, and lower levels of processing, as well as foods which are necessary for special diets and produced relatively locally, providing environmental and economic stability.
