June 2021

June 19 is Juneteenth—the day on which, in 1865, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free. On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday through the efforts of Al Edwards, an African American state legislator. The successful passage of this bill marked Juneteenth as the first emancipation celebration granted official state recognition. Edwards has since actively sought to spread the observance of Juneteenth all across America. Early festivities celebrating, Juneteenth — also known as Freedom Day — consisted of baseball, fishing, rodeos, and barbeques. Segregation prohibited African-Americans from using public facilities for celebrations so many were often held at churches or near water. As with many celebrations, sharing food was at center stage, and many of these food are red. The red color symbolizes the struggle, perseverance, and resilience of African slaves.  Red sodas, watermelon, and other red food

Valley Natural Foods Co-op's Commitment to Sustainable Seafood Freshness and flavor may be the most important factors for the food you eat – and we understand that by offering many varieties of fish and shellfish in our frozen and raw fish cases. From snow crab to shrimp, from Canadian walleye to Alaskan sockeye salmon, we’ve got what you need for a tasty seafood feast. Valley Natural Foods also knows that maintaining the health of our world’s fish population is vital to ensure that there will be seafood for generations to come. That is why we only buy seafood that meets standards set by organizations such as Seafood Watch, Seafood Pact, Aquaculture Stewardship Council, and Ocean’s Trust. We check the standards upon bringing in new varieties, and constantly re-check our current offerings to make sure they still rate “good” or better. We prefer all of our