Natural News

(First published in The Herald Express, Devon - 21-04-07)

I mentioned last week that I was on my way to the Natural and Organic Product show in London. Now back, thoroughly up-to-date with the latest developments, and with the sweet taste of many a healthy treat dimming in my memory, I’m delighted to say that we have reason to be proud here in Torbay.

It’s a real pleasure to let you know that local health store - 100% Health in Paignton – have been crowned “the UK’s Best New Health Store”. The results were announced at the show and as you can imagine, proprietors Heather and Mark Hamilton are over the moon.

“Everyone at 100% Health is buzzing at the moment,” Mark tells me, whose retail outlet beat off hundreds of competitors from all over the UK, missing out by just half a point on becoming the UK’s overall Best Health store – a staggering achievement considering they’ve only been 100% for just 8 months.

“The award itself is testimony to all the staff’s hard work and efforts,” says Mark. “One thing we do is give our customers total customer care, time, and knowledge. I believe that one thing that wowed the judges was not just the great service, the phenomenal knowledge of the staff, or even the range and diversity of quality products, but the obvious passion we all have for helping people in a natural way.”

It seems the team at 100% don’t just sell products to people, or merely advise, they empower the customer with knowledge, lifestyle changes, information and sometimes just a shoulder to cry on. I know - I’ve been on the receiving end of their winning ways, although my nutritional requirements haven’t caused any tears as yet.

I have, however, got to be honest and tell you that I didn’t have Paignton down as the home of health-based retail innovation. But that’s just my conditioned thought processes at work. Why shouldn’t we have the best of what’s on offer in retail and in many other areas of our lives in the Bay?

We have a location, atmosphere and vibe to die for – it was great to see Devon being promoted so proudly in the national press last week - and I suspect the energy Mark and Heather bring to their business is exactly the sort of thing that’s needed to make Torbay a healthy living haven – where more people come to live life to the full.

100% Health is proactive and very modern in outlook - a little different to what a lot of people would expect from a stereotypical health store - a transferable lesson that I feel could make the Bay “a little different to what a lot of people would expect from a stereotypical” English seaside destination.

Their business seems to turn customers into friends; blessed as they are by a service ethic not only often missing round here, but across the whole country. Their award was apparently not only based on the recognition of this outstanding level of customer service, but also their range and quality of products, staff knowledge, shop design and layout, plus local community involvement.

For me, they represent the long-awaited evolution of health food retailing, which has shifted from the marginal domain of people with allergies, committed health-freaks and home-brewers, into an exciting environment that can, as Mark says, empower a more vibrant and vital way of life for everyone.

And their clientele are living proof: “Of our best selling products, there are those that help with the menopause to alleviate night sweats, hot flushes and improve libido. There are sports and bodybuilding products, as we are probably the biggest stockists in the South West, and it helps that three members of staff are qualified fitness instructors and personal trainers. And recently there has been a huge increase in our organic, natural body care ranges which are free of chemical nasties that can get absorbed into our skin,” recalls Mark.

It hasn’t been a breeze however. Despite interest in all things green, natural and ethical right now, health store industry insiders reckon this is probably the quietest time it has experienced since the early 90’s. Bucking that trend, 100% Health are clearly successful in attracting the sort of people who once may have feared an alien abduction or cult membership when setting foot inside a health store, attracting customers from 16 to 90 years of age.

Their aim “to make the health industry funky, modern and fresh” is now a reality; and, as Heather points out, they’re living up to their name: “we are 100% passionate and 100% committed to what we do.”

Building confidence by offering the new and nervy customer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on any products and a no quibble refund on anything returned for whatever reason, these guys – as the old cliché goes – “deserve to do well”.

I congratulate them on this prestigious award and admire their vision and contribution to the evolution of how we see food, make better nutrition choices and incorporate more natural products into our lives. They are there to help with the responsibility we all can take when it comes to investing in our own vitality. Well done to all involved; it’s great for them, but it’s also great for the Bay.

If you pop into 100% with your congratulations, they say they’ll give you a 10% discount on any purchase. Go on, give it a try and share in the celebrations!

(Originally published in The Herald Express, Devon - April 14th 2007)

If all goes according to plan, I’ll be at the Natural Products Show in London tomorrow, where I’m destined to see the largest trade show of its kind in the UK. I’m told around 6,000 specialist buyers will be bringing along a staggering £2.7 billion worth of naturally-oriented budget, looking to splash out on the latest innovations in wellbeing.

Now, with the show its eleventh year, I reckon it’s safe to say that natural products have come a long way. Organic, wholesome and ethical are no longer the exclusive domain of the knit-your-own muesli, sandal-toting tofu mafia.

In the press, on the TV and in every supermarket, healthy living is everywhere and it’s sexy too with no end of celebrity endorsements. Sales are up, the marketing men have moved in and natural products are here to stay.

But behind the health-based hype and commercial appeal of feel good foods and the fast-growing array of non-edible life-enhancing gadgets, is it all good news?

I’m all for the higher profile that environmentally-friendly, ethically sound and rudely healthy natural products are getting, but there are causes for concern away from the organic lime light exemplified by the relatively unknown, yet thoroughly vital Goji berry.

A marketer’s dream in terms of product pedigree, Goji berries are found in the pristine “Heavenly Mountains” of China and have been famous and revered as an anti-aging elixir for thousands of years.

These “immortality berries”, according to whatreallyworks.co.uk have “a unique group of polysaccharides found nowhere else that are a super source of essential cell nutrients”. Apparently they help facilitate the release of Human Growth Hormone, which its thought increases concentration, offers more restful sleep, faster healing, weight loss and even increased sex drive.

Also in the Goji nutritional blueprint are germanium, selenium, carotenoids, and more beta carotene than carrots; pound-for-pound, they pack a nutrional punch and taste something like a cross between a cranberry and a cherry.

Trouble is, it seems they’ve ruffled a few food industry feathers and are likely to be banned by – what is in my opinion – a very dodgy piece of EU legislation, the ‘Novel Foods’ directive.

Don’t you just hate the fact that Goji berries and products containing them may have to be withdrawn from sales if an EU-wide investigation confirms that they are a ‘novel food’? Because under the “Novel Foods Regulation” a food or ingredient is defined as novel if there is no significant history of consumption within the EU before May 1997.

I’m keeping an eye on the investigation launched by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) which says it received enquiries from food companies about the status of goji berries. Though I suspect it will leave other controversial ‘food’stuffs like sugar-laden fizzy drinks, artificial sweeteners and transfats well alone.

The FSA has put the burden of proof on retailers, health food companies and other stakeholders, asking them to demonstrate a “significant history of consumption” and I await their findings with a mixture of bated breath and incredulity. Without the evidence, Goji berries will be considered novel and cannot be sold legally until they have been formally authorised. What’s next I wonder?

What might make sense logically, i.e. protecting the public from rogue foods, does not actually add up in a world where, as the old cliché says: “you can get enough paracetamol in a supermarket to kill yourself, but you’d be struggling to finish yourself off in a health food store”.

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Dawn Ireland, a 43 year-old vegan with “no kids, 3 cats and two allotments to organise”, grows her own herbs, fruit and vegetables, organically of course, and has made her own natural toiletries and cosmetics, avoiding chemicals, artificial ingredients and vegan, for many years. Now she’s sharing her secrets…

“I spent nearly 20 years working in offices and being bored and stifled but not knowing what else I could do,” says Dawn. “One day my sister said I should look into training in complementary therapies. I first did a basic herbalism diploma by distance learning, then a herbal horticulture and botany diploma.”

“I perfected a few handmade toiletries, had them safety tested by a lab and began selling them in my local health food shop under the trade name of Green Wych,” adds Dawn.

“I realised there were lots of people who wanted to make their own products too, so I began a series of short practical workshops teaching others how to do it. They became quite popular and I expanded them to include soap-making, toiletries, household cleaning products and basic herbal remedies.”

Soon after, Dawn discovered iridology and decided she wanted to learn more about this fascinating subject and time-honoured diagnostic tool. She searched on the internet and found a course run by Devon-based holistic therapy school Kevala.

“It was perfect as it allowed time to study at home, along with practical tutorials to fit in with existing commitments,” Dawn explained. “I had a very good teacher with a huge knowledge and admin staff always willing to help.”

Eventually, Kevala asked Dawn if she would be interested in writing a short course on Natural Product Making, similar to her workshops, but more in-depth. She did this, and after taking a basic teacher training qualification, now teaches at the college.

“The past few years of study have given me the confidence to enrol for Herbal Medicine degree,” says Dawn, who works in her local health food shop, where she is able to promote her courses. “This is something I would never have believed possible a few years ago. My advice to others considering changing careers, or wanting to start something new, is - go for it, be positive, you become what you meditate upon!”

You can find out more about Dawn’s Natural Product Making course at: http://www.kevala.co.uk

“The course transformed my thinking, made me braver, more positive and less fearful about making changes,” says Claire Morrissey, a Kevala Holistic Stress Management student who has started a new business.

Claire, 35, who lives in London says: “I was in a very stressful time in a previous job and did some internet searching around the word ‘stress’, looking for information on the subject as I knew I needed help”.

“The course is amazing as it exposes you to such a wide variety of thinking and experiences regarding health and well-being. I have found it invaluable, bearing in mind I’ve been in high-stress business roles involving management and frequent global travel. This is just what I’ve been looking for,” she adds.

“The course has inspired me to follow my passion and launch my own business, which is a luxury ethical shopping website - www.nocows.com – which I launched in on 1st Feb 2007, my birthday.”

Claire intends to incorporate her stress management studies somehow into her business, “although exactly how I will do this I have yet to figure out,” she tells us.

Particularly interested in the meditation, yoga and NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming), Claire says the course has introduced her to subjects and authors that have “transformed my thinking, made me braver, more positive and less fearful about making changes”.

Through her business and website, Claire wants to impact the world in a more positive way and hopes to share the knowledge she’s gained with more people.”

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