Humans can’t live without salt, but most Americans could do with far less of it, says the latest issue of Time magazine.
As local retailers know, the regulators have prepared foods firmly in their sights. It costs the US $24 billion a year in health care costs and 150,000 lives. These statistics, as we know from efforts to stamp out tobacco use, will be hammered into the public arena again and again. (Surely that $24 billion includes lots of jobs in hospitals and medical centres and lots of profits for big pharmaceutical companies!)
Time helpfully note that salt “often lurks where you don’t expect it. A dollop of cottage cheese, for instance, can pack twice as much of the mineral as a palmful of salted peanuts.”
And this takes us back to the discussion about portion sizes and disclosure. How big is your dollop?
Talking about disclosure, I am looking at a Sainsbury’s museli packet that invites consumers to recycle the cardboard and simultaneously claims to have much less salt than consumers (and the regulators) would expect.
On the side of the box are two tables of evidence to support its “better-for-you” claim and listing the ingredients. In 100g there is 0.05g of salt. In a 50g serving, there is 0.15g. An amazing feat of science or simply a proof reading mistake?
The debate over food is going to be driven by statistics and local shopkeepers are going to have to be adept at marketing to avoid being made into scapegoats. Take a leaf out of Sainsbury’s book and put the emphasis on your strengths – local sourcing, having a book for shoppers to ask for products they want, friendly service and so on. At the same time, in selling top up and treat foods, you will need to learn the vocabulary of “better-for-you” foods.
chander Hingorani
15/04/2010
My comments relate to late payemts and the role of the local bank manager.
Today the RBS(owned by the tax payers) published a survey which shows that in the SME sector, 71% of firms have suffered late payments and on an average they were owed money 41 days longer than the agreed terms. The monies outstanding amounted to a staggering £62 billion. That is cruel and unjust and totally unacceptable. Cash flow is the life line of SME sector and it amounts to pure exploitation on the part of big firms to hold these firms to a ransom.
This on top of the refusal by the big banks to lend monies to the SME sector. The government, trade associtions and various other groups have pleaded with the banks to start lending but will they listen.
The Sunday Times published an article on ” Bring back the old bank manager”. The banks have centralised their decision making processes and your application will go some high flyer sitting in head or regional office who does not know you or your market and will turn down your application. What we want is the local manager who knows you and the local market and is in a better postion to judge it.
I hope in these general elections, some one will champion the cause of these enterprising, energising, hard working enterpreneurs so we can see a flourishing SME and MICRO sector- the back bone of the economy.
Thank you for listening.