At Park Slope Food Coop (PSFC), Brooklyn’s most normal grocery store, the bok choy and baby gem lettuce will soon be under the watch of paid security, but they promise it’ll be worker-owned.

Per an email to coop members on Saturday, general manager Joe Szladek wrote that “increased tension, outside attention, and a range of security concerns” led management  to add new security measures, which include “an additional check-in station near the elevator/locker area so those entering the building check in before accessing the second floor and elevator” and, more dramatically, “Hiring security personnel.”

Szladek warned that “security personnel may feel alarming,” but that a security company had already been found, assuring coop members that their future guards would “work professionally and in a manner consistent with Coop values,” and that said security would be “a worker-owned Coop.” The email did not identify which “worker-owned security coop” had been selected. PSFC has not responded to a request for comment from Grime Square at the time of publication.

This was, Szladek claims, due to “threats and other disruptive activity,” such as “threatening letters, suspicious substances sent through the mail, aggressive phone calls and emails.” Said alleged threats appear to be in response to a leaked comment from a recent coop meeting, where one attendee decried what they called “Jewish supremacism,” per the Post.

This is one part of a history of grocery store tension that began after October 7th. A schism had formed among the coop’s membership, largely based around Sabra hummus and other products imported from Israel. This was confirmed with one PSFC member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Park Slope Food Coop has even become an issue in New York’s 10th Congressional District race, where congressman and possible future steamrolling victim Dan Goldman urged PSFC members to vote against an internal vote on boycotting Israeli goods, which Goldman accused of being driven by antisemitism.

Brad Lander, who is primarying Goldman for the seat (with support from Mayor Zohran Mamdani), took a more moderate position: “Boycotts, divestments, and sanctions are legitimate tools of advocacy campaigns. Unlike my opponent, I don’t believe all opposition to Israel is antisemitic,” per The Forward.

Sabra was once a joint venture owned by PepsiCo and Strauss Group. Strauss being an Israeli company that supports the IDF, along with PepsiCo’s acquisition of Israeli manufacturer SodaStream, positioned both as targets of the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions). In 2024, Strauss Group sold its stake in Sabra back to PepsiCo.

PSFC, per their public agenda, is set to vote on the boycott this Tuesday (May 26th). When asked about their feelings on the situation, that previously quoted PSFC member said, “I swear to [G]od that it’s [kind of] a normal place,” before adding, “Well[,] actually[,] I take that back.”

P.S. For North Brooklyn readers, maybe don’t feel so bad about getting ripped off at the Food Bazaar cash register. Things could always be stranger.