ABSTRACT
Among the major challenges highlighted in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the issue of food in terms of health, preservation of biodiversity, climate change but also accessibility is very present. The political project of the co-operative movement, both original and contemporary, echoes these societal challenges, explaining the emergence and the renewal of co-operatives, in particular consumer co-operatives, in France. While the early 20th century saw the growth of French consumer cooperation, the movement began to decline in the 1960s. This chapter provides an outline of the theoretical background of French consumer cooperation. It describes the main phases of their historical development and explores recent efforts at renewal and realignment. The central aim of French consumer co-operatives was, and is still, to allow people of modest means to consume quality products at the lowest possible price.
