Santos Newsletter Autumn
2006
Hello and welcome from us in Byron Bay and Mullumbimby,
north east NSW. We hope you have enjoyed your summer holidays (or winter
ones if you live in the northern hemisphere)
We have some wonderful news about changes to our Byron Bay shop and an
article on the price of organic food for you to read and digest ( ha ha).
Enjoy this newsletter.
Robert, editor.
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Santos Bulk-Food
Warehouse
First and foremost thank you for the
support
you have shown the Santos Warehouse. We love it.
Our Bulk-food warehouse is going from strength to
strength. Our internet and phone orders are growing. People from all
parts
of Australia are taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity to buy
bulk and organic food * on-line * or by phone.. Many of
our customers live in remote parts of the country many hundreds of
kilometers from the nearest health food shop. Others live in big cities
but cannot easily get to a suitable shop in their city because of traffic
congestion or time constraints. It is ironic that in Sydney and
Melbourne,
one can live 10km from a store but it is impractical to travel there to
shop. Visit our bulk-food store at www.santostrading.com.au
Our aim is to keep improving the way we do things, and then to improve
them even more… That includes all aspects of what we do, from sourcing
the
best products, to dispatching them Australia wide.
With your support we'll get there, and we hope you'll come with us…
We've just re-vamped the customer section of our Warehouse, and it's
looking more functional now than it ever has. Of course it looks good
too…
Hopefully we'll have a few new photos for you on our website soon.
Some of the standout products according to our
customers recently have been:
Goji Berries (direct from Tibet ),
Peruvian Organic Maca Powder (by Maca Power ),
Bee Pollen (from Western Australia ) and
Australian Olive Leaf Extract (500ml only $32.00 from the Warehouse…).
Stay tuned (I aim to bring you all some more lengthy articles in the
future…).
Have fun and spread Peace,
Ryan and the Warehouse Crew
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Byron shop news Feb 2006
Well folks, here in Byron Bay the school holidays are over and we
have
settled into apparent normality. New people and families are moving into
the area and enjoy shopping here. They love the * organic *
range of * bulk * grains, nuts, dried fruits,
and yes, the * organic chocolate * and * spelt
licorice * also, of course the extensive range of
*organic vegetables*.
* Regular customers * come from as far as *
Brisbane * and the *Gold Coast* wishing they
had a store like * Santos * in their home town. I have
been reflecting that since we have been around for over 25 years we
shouldn't take * Santos * for granted because it has
evolved into a * unique * health food store.
I became the Byron store Manager at the start of February. I have always
loved the concept of * Santos * , owned by many locals
and see it as a wonderful community asset. We have a new staff line-up,
with the focus on efficient customer service. The fresh fruit and
vegetables section is undergoing an upgrade,with more shelving
space,allowing us to display bulk herbs and nuts more efficiently.
The juice bar is under new management with Kris Campbell and her sister
Josie. There is a new range of lunches and snacks available and the focus
is on * organic * and
*gluten-free*. Our lunches are nourishing and
delicious.
Remember to obtain a * Santos-card * next time you come
into one of our shops. It gives you added bonuses and discounts.Ask at
your local * Santos * for more details.
Yes and we are all just having fun.
Remember to visit us next time you visit Byron Bay
Evelyn
Byron store manager
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Is Organic Food Expensive?
by John Dolman
I retail organic food and was asked by the Byron Environment Centre
to
explain why organic food costs more than conventionally grown produce.
Immediately I want to say that my argument rests on my understanding that
conventional food is too cheap. That conventional food has many other
costs that are not paid when you purchase it from your local supermarket.
Contra to this is the understanding that true organic production is Earth
sustainable & more hopefully Earth enhancing, reflecting a real
production cost.
So what are these hidden costs?
• Environmental
Current farming practices force crops onto inappropriate land; therefore
we pay huge environmental repair bills. The multibillion-dollar bill just
to stop the Australian salinity problem, not even to repair it comes to
mind. There are many similar problems, most not yet identified. We all
pay
for these past errors of judgement with our taxes & our health.
• Chemicals
The Green revolution which started in the 1950's & 60's introduced
chemicals tailored to enhance food production. This encouraged
mono-culture& the industrialising of food. Such was the cultural shock
of this vast over production of food that the fears of food shortages
subsided, food became economic units, and cheap food became a fake
birthright. Governments took to subsidising this industrialising of food
& ignored its real costs. Again, we pay through our taxes & health
to support these unsustainable farming practices.
• Social
A large vertically integrated chemically driven mono-culture produces
for example, 15000 tonnes of wheat but employs few workers, these mostly
with no job security.
• The farmer
Because of his huge capital outlay on equipment & chemicals, the
farmer forced to treat workers and his crop as economic “units”,
subsequently dehumanising & denaturing occurs. He is forced to sell
his crop on the world market, competing against other nations heavily
subsidised crops. This “cheapest to produce mentality' deprives many
workers of a job, or acquiring skills or creating values of self worth.
You get cheap bread but at a huge social cost – such as social welfare
& health costs.
• Health
This is a difficult issue as conventional studies have indicated no
great differences between the nutrient level of organic & chemical
forced food. One must question what these studies are measuring. However
there is no doubt that food coated with a cocktail of (by themselves
deadly) chemicals cause harm to our health. It seems only a few years ago
that scientists did not accept that man made chemicals entered via the
skin, now it is a common medical delivery system. What is the dollar
price
of our health problems caused by farm chemicals? Billions & who pays –
well us, but not at the supermarket. What was the cost of BSE in England?
What will be the cost to our health after a generation or two of gene
modified food consumption?
• Farming Methods
Organic farming usually allows for crop rotation, consequently up to
25%
of land is not available for cash crops. Yield is lower as enhancing
chemicals are not used. Labour is more expensive as plots are smaller
& diverse companion planting practiced. Typically less hybrid seeds
are preferred as they are closer to the original genetic type. As a
result
yields & sugar contents are lower. For example Spelt wheat has half
the yield compared to mainstream wheat. Pest control tends to be more
hands on & knowledge based rather than chemical desertification.
Other reasons why organics are more expensive
are:
• Supply & Demand
There is more demand for organic produce than there is supply. It is
natural that the farmers selling price reflects this. A significant
percentage of organic produce is exported, the prices paid by overseas
buyers effects the prices asked for at home.
• Locally Grown
Industrialised food tends to come from far away. The money paid for it
gets to go far away. The only money retained in the local economy is in
the margin charged by the local retailer (which incidentally is the same
for organic or non organic food). Most retailers in identifiable
communities achieve a sustainable profit, no more. Organic farms are
mostly small and sell a significant amount locally. The amount of money
retained in the local community from locally sourced product is
significantly more than that retained from produce from faraway. However
the producer farmer tends to charge similar prices to that of the city
distributor when selling locally.
Reflecting on the above I am impressed by those in our community who
choose to buy organic food, particularly as they mainly are those, who on
the surface, least can afford to pay the extra premium. Ultimately then,
to use or not to use organic food becomes a personal choice – as a
consumer we can recognise that all our spending decisions can be deeply
conscious and for some the most powerful personal action available.
As a foot note, I also see the price of organic food continue to fall
as it moves from the prerogative of the “outsiders” to the mainstream in
our society.
John Dolman
PS If you have any comments about this article visit our website at www.santostrading.com.au/feedback/webmaster.html
and drop a line to the webmaster.We will publish relevant replies on
the website.
Robert
