Most people in our community find aplace somewhere on the natural andorganic spectrum where they gravitatenaturally. For me it’s wholefoods.

Wholefoods were my point of entryinto the natural products world – HarvestFoods and the Brillig Art Centre in Bathbeing two early wholefood hangouts –

and they still instinctively feel right to me. But then nobody is exactly arguing against wholefoods.

In fact, a diet rich in wholefoods has the broad backing ofofficial health bodies, dieticians and national charities alike.

Yet despite the abundantly clear health benefits of awholefood diet, support for it from official sources is hardlyeffusive. Why? In a recent article (The Health Care DoctorsForgot: Why Ordinary Food Will Be the Future of Medicine)the American biochemist T Colin Campbell Cornell arguesthat the answer lies with the pervasive influence of the foodand drug industries which “increasingly infiltrate andcorrupt academic research”.

Because governments have encouraged themarketization of public health – resulting in a health systemshackled by intellectual property rights and the patenting ofparts and processes – we have ended up, in Campbell’swords, “worshipping biological parts”. In nutrition, he says,this means relying on individual nutrients; in medicalpractice, it means relying on drugs. ‘Wholistic nutrition’doesn’t fit with this reductionist thinking, and it is directly atodds with the interests of the drug and food industries.

Richard Austin, founder of Rainbow Wholefoods (seeour interview on p 57), says the big food and drink firmsdon’t want to hear the message about the benefits ofwholefoods – “it’s very inconvenient for them.”

But the inconvenient truth about wholefoods isn’t goingto go away. This has always been most powerfullyarticulated by the wholefood trade, and my sense is thatthe wholefood scene is experiencing a resurgence. A newgeneration of wholefoodists is coming on board and newnetworks forming – take for example the recent launch ofthe Wholefood Shop Action Network (WSAN), with itsvision of wholefood stores acting as local hubs in the widermovement for a better food system, and the springing upof groups like Manchester’s Kindling Trust.

And could it be that the food industry is finally readingthe signals? At a recent food industry conference, onecompany executive told delegates that consumers wereturning away from over-processed foods and ‘functional’ingredients – “We have entered the age of the unthinkablefor the processed food industry”.

So, let them contemplate the unthinkable. We’ll get onwith doing the unthinkable.

Natural Products May 2014 www.npnews.co.uk

INDUSTRY NEWS04

Got an interesting news story you think Natural Products should feature?Email editor@naturalproductsonline.co.uk and the story could make it in to the magazine..

The age of the unthinkable

Mission StatementDiversified Communications UK is a dynamic and innovativeevent organizer and information provider. We are passionateabout the communities we serve and inspired by our goal ofbuilding business with a conscience.

Jim Manson

CHC POLICY director andpublic affairs commentatorChris Whitehouse recentlypredicted in Natural Productsthat ‘becoming more than ashop’ could be the indepen-dent health food retailer’sbiggest single opportunity.

By making a stand forhealth choice and acting aslocal information hubs, storescan become community assetsvalued by cash-strapped healthauthorities and councils asmuch as consumers.

Other retailers areshowing what they stand forby being local advocates forethical sourcing, Fairtrade andanimal welfare, or acting aslocal hubs in the movement fora better food system.

At last month’s Natural &Organic Products Europethree retailers shared their verydifferent – but equallyinspiring stories – of ‘beingmore than a shop’.

Define your storeSara Novakovic of Oliver’s inKew, West London, said thatgetting involved in issues –from organic, GM andlocalism to corporate green-washing – had helped defineher store and give it a distinc-tive offer over competitors.

Asked to describe Oliver’sethos in one sentence, Novakovic didn’t hesitate:“Clean food from smallsuppliers, great ingredients, nobullshit”. She described

Oliver’s as “a grocerwhere you can do a fullshop and buy everythingfrom fresh organicproduce to whisky”.

She told the seminaraudience that gettinginvolved with issues andcampaigns had made hera more knowledgeable retailer– and person.

Distinctive valuesWhen Whole Foods Marketannounced it was to open innearby Richmond, Novakovicworried that the US retail giantmight put her out of business.In fact, Oliver’s has been busier since WholeFoods opened – something that Novakovic puts downpartly to her store’s verydistinctive values.

Dominic Upton has runHaslemere Health for 20 years.He has a background in homeopathy and herbalmedicine and said that he had initially approachedretailing from “more of amedicinal side of things” –although he also had a stronginterest in natural food: “I was raised as a vegetarian and I’ve remained one, andvaccination-free too.”

He explained: “A lot ofthese things were once seen asbeing fairly fringe activities,but I think we’re seeing themmove into the mainstream. Animportant part of what we tryto do is to open up some of

these ideas andapproaches to life to awider part of thecommunity. I thinkwe’re seeing somerecognition on the partof the government thatthe NHS is strugglingand that it is not

sustainable in its present form;and we’re seeing governmentbeginning to introduce somehelpful initiatives, albeit ratherquietly. So, the question Iwould ask is how can healthfood retailers participate in thisand get access to some of the health funding beingdevolved to local healthauthorities and councils?”

Sharing experiencesRuth Strange explained

how she came to set up thewholefood co-op Sound Bites in Derby: “I moved toDerby where there weren’t anyindependent wholefood stores.So we set up Sound Bites. It’svery much about beingorganic, Fairtrade, using low-level packaging, cruelty-free.

“And now, with the Whole-food Shop Action Network(WSAN), we’re trying to take the aims of the shopfurther and wider. It’s aboutincreasing access to ethicalfood and supporting positivesocial change, and creating aforum where retailers can sharetheir experiences and helpbuild a wider resource for allour customers.”

‘Being more than a shop’ –three retailers’ inspiring stories

Editor’s comment

13-14 April 2014Grand Hall | Olympia

04-05 Industryjwjm_Cover 06/05/2014 14:03 Page 04

May 2014 Natural Productswww.npnews.co.uk

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INDUSTRY NEWS 05

New rules on organiclabelling on the way

The European Commission (EC) is never oneto miss a good opportunity for cross-promotion and it was presumably with April’shighly successful Natural & Organic ProductsEurope in mind that it released a newproposed regulation on organic foodproduction and the labelling of products.

The heart may sink at the prospect of yetanother European regulation covering thissector. One of the recurrent themes that hasappeared in this space over the years is thedamaging impact of European regulationafter directive after regulation. The opacity ofthe decision-making process combined withthe attempt to design one law for the widelydifferent needs of various European UnionMember States often creates enormousuncertainty, harming businesses andconsumers alike.

This proposal is one born of the successof the industry over the last decade or so:despite an ongoing economic crisis, theorganic sector in the EU has grown four-fold,whilst the amount of land devoted to organicfood production has doubled. So, thecommission has decided new regulation isneeded to ensure the sustainabledevelopment of the industry.

Clarification of rulesI won’t go into too much detail on theproposals themselves, but some of the suggested changes appear to be awelcome effort to clarify and harmonizerules. On the issue of organic production, forexample, the EC is looking to strengthen andharmonize the rules removing variousexemptions and derogations that arecurrently allowed.

Similarly, in the field of official controls,the commission wants to reinforce the risk-based approach, removing the requirementfor a mandatory annual physical verificationof compliance of all operators, and increasetransparency with regard to fees that may becollected for the controls.

Alongside the proposal, the EC haspublished an action plan to support thegrowth of the organic farming sector, settingout the steps that will be taken over the nextfew years. These include the publication of adocument presenting the rules applicable toorganic production, processors and trade;the development of a system of electroniccertification for import; and the developmentand implementation of an organic fraudprevention policy, among other measures.

Clarity and commitment to cut down onthe sort of food fraud which can imperil theorganic sector’s reputation is all welcome.But some in the EU are uneasy that newrules may be far too burdensome, and thereare ominous rumblings from the two big EUpowers, France and Germany, that they areparticularly dissatisfied.

As ever with the EU though, don’t expecttoo much to happen too quickly – it isunlikely that the regulation will become lawbefore the end of 2015. The proposal hasonly just been published and now has to goto the unwieldy 750+ member EuropeanParliament, which may well want to attachvarious amendments to it. After this scrutinyprocess – which will be delayed by the MayParliamentary elections – the EuropeanCouncil, which is made up of representativesfrom the 28 Member States, will then haveits say.

The debate will start soon, so now is thetime for the organic sector to start looking atthis proposed law – advantages anddisadvantages – and see how it caninfluence its development, maximizingopportunities and identifying threats.

Despite the stirrings of criticism, thisproposed regulation and action plan can beseen as a vote of confidence from the EC inthe EU’s organic sector – and given thecrowds that flocked to Natural & OrganicProducts Europe 2014 in April, why not?

Follow Chris on twitter at @CllrWhitehouse

Regular updates and analysis from leading political affairscommentator Chris Whitehouse

New EU regulations on organic food production and labelling present the sector withpotential disadvantages – but also advantages.

THE DEPARTMENT forEnvironment, Food and RuralAffairs (DEFRA) has given thego-ahead for scientists togrow GM plants engineeredto offer protection againstheart disease.

Statutory consent hasbeen granted to RothamstedResearch in Hertfordshire tocarry out a small-scale fieldtrial of GM camelina plants,modified to produce omega-3polyunsaturated fatty acids inits seed oils. The trial, said tobe the first field trial ofnutrient-enriched crops in theUK, is due to start this springand run until 2017.

Omega-3s have long beenknown to be beneficial for

heart health and protectagainst heart disease, andthe trial is being heralded asone possible answer to theproblem of over-fishing.

But Emma Hockridge, SoilAssociation head of policy,said: “This is a waste ofscarce public funds ... twonon-GM omega-3-producingcrops are already available toUK farmers.

DEFRA green-lights GM plant trial

Chris Whitehouse is MD of leading political and communications consultancywww.whitehouseconsulting.co.uk and is an advisor to Consumers for Health Choiceand the European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance.

A NEW breed of ‘free-rangeshopper’ is emerging asBritain’s retail landscapeundergoes radical change,says rewards app Shopitize.

Indiscriminate, savvy andretailer-neutral, the free-range shopper is part of agrowing shoppingphenomenon created by the“explosion of choice, pricewars and discounters”.

Shopitize says the free-range shopper displays four

main characteristics. They:▪ aren’t loyal to one retailer▪ shop at their convenience,

are value sensitive andbrand agnostic

▪ have no qualms aboutshopping for line-caughtcod at Waitrose, and thenpicking up pasta sauce at Aldi

▪ are savvy shoppers whoare inclined to a bargain,but are not controlled bythat prospect.

Indiscriminate, savvy,retailer-neutral – introducingthe ‘free-range shopper’

FOLLOWING a study byresearchers at UniversityCollege London showingthat eating seven or moreportions of fruit and veg perday better protects againstthe risk of death than thecurrent five-a-day guideline,a leading academic says thefive-a-day message worksand should stay.

Although admitting thatthe research was “welldone”, CambridgeUniversity’s Dr Nita Forouhiadded: “A change toincrease the current five-a-

day message to seven ormore a day on the basis ofthis study is not warranted.There is no strong evidencefor such a change, and thesuggestion by somequarters to considerchanging the message toten-a-day is simply notsupported by the data.

“Current efforts willtherefore be better spent in getting the populationintake to meet the guidelineof eating at least five-a-day, which offers a win-winfor all,” she said.

Five-a-day should staysays top academic

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