Making a "ricket"

While enjoying my once weekly ritual of reading through the "Sundays" in between various chores,breakfast making and tea supping I stumbled across an article discussing the falling sales of fresh produce(a phenomenon I am we'll versed In) and drawing parallels to the malnourished youth,and the rise of cases of Victorian diseases such as rickets and as usual my eyebrows scrunched and thinking cap in place a eureka moment POW !
As you are aware our previous administration probably on the well intentioned advice supermarket man launched the "five a day" campaign which was designed to improve the health of the nation via fruit and indeed it captured the imagination of a nation even my 8 year old son proudly boasts when eating fresh produce "that's one of my five a day dad" but unfortunately this has backfired massively as food producers and supermarkets have been allowed to hijack the campaign and proudly boast on there tins of soup,processed fruits,juice made from concentrate and foods with 18 months shelf life "PART OF YOUR FIVE A DAY" yes in essence they are part of the afore mentioned food group but none of them have the goodness of "proper" fresh fruit and vegetables full of the necessary nutrition and vitamins our children need.
So in reality big business had hoodwinked us into believing that we are all well and healthy as we pick up out lunchtime pack of prepared fruit from supermarket man or a warm cup of tomato soup but nothing could be further from the truth and the lack of nutrition perticullally vitamin D has led to the rise in disease so in fact they "making a ricket"

Ranting in the fresh produce journal

--
Any business rate increases in the current economic climate would be disastrous for greengrocers, according to several leading businesses.

Chancellor George Osborne had been widely tipped to cover business rates as part of his Autumn Statement this week, however nothing was mentioned and with rates increasing by 4.6 per cent in 2011 and 5.6 per cent this year, the British Retail Consortium has criticised the government for not clarifying if there would be any further rise.

“The Chancellor should have removed the threat of a further 2.6 per cent, £175 million rate increase next April to avoid more empty shops; this issue needs tackling urgently,” said Stephen Robertson, director general of the BRC.

Three quarters of MPs currently believe trading costs should be brought under control as a way of halting high street decline, while two thirds would back a complete freeze on business rates next year, according to the BRC.

“Rates on the high street have almost doubled over the last 10 years; a further rise would be terminal for a lot of greengrocers,” said Andreas Georghiou, owner of Andreas Veg.

Georghiou owns two greengrocers based in Chelsea and Chiswick, and says that despite the Mary Portas review giving independent businesses greater publicity, the government has continued to move away in the opposite direction.

“We are essentially at the hardest part of the retail food chain as even with a 50 per cent margin you’re only making 5p an apple. There has to be a tiered level of rating on rates or greengrocers are in grave danger of disappearing.”

Christopher Bavin, owner of Walton-on-Thames based award-winning greengrocer The Naked Grocer, echoed Georghiou’s fears. “The correlation between rent and rates has now completely fallen out of kilter, and with every utility from transport and wages to waste management all going up, a business rate increase would be the kiss of death,” said Bavin.

Cooperation is the name of the game

It was fabulous having Franco Fubini M.D. of Natoora along with Fedi and Tim talking and mingling with our customers in Chiswick while displaying some of there impressive produce.
The most significant feature of this mini event I believe is that two companies one a specialist retailer and one a very specialist restaurant supplier with a strong online presence(including adding some finesse to ocardo) can work together without suspicion and with honesty and integrity to spread the "word" so to speak.
It shows also that in greengrocery we are attempting to use these collaborations for the greater good of the most important of people ... the customer !
Co-operation is my friends the name of the game in the now and the very essence of the future of fresh produce marketing and sales in the independent sector

Andreas and Franco

Me doing mushrooms

http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=mhee&v=uC6XQSSc1sI

Wild mushroom tasting

Come to our wild mushroom tasting today at Andreas Chelsea