Opinion

A couple of young women pitched up at our place recently. We fed them, gave them a twin-bed room and they worked for us for six hours every day, mostly weeding and cutting back brambles on the edge of the orchard. If they had to pay for a B&B it would cost them £700 a week at this time of year so they’re earning, for a 30-hour week, nearly £10 an hour.

Last night, I crossed to the dark side. I unwittingly bit into a bar of chocolate that was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. A bar of Green & Black’s new Velvet Edition; its first product that is neither Fairtrade certified, nor organic.

You have four different types of customer and it is vitally important to understand the differences. In my seminars across the UK and abroad I repeatedly stress this key business principle using an animal analogy. The four types of customer are butterflies, loyal hounds, ‘dumb asses’ and blind bats.

Sometimes it’s hard to be a vegan. There are three key nutrients a vegan diet struggles to provide enough of: vitamin B12, vitamin D and omega-3 fats.

There has been much speculation about the impact of Brexit on the British food and farming industry, with the most urgent policy questions relating to the much-discussed potential ‘cliff-edge’ with any agreed transitional agreements. Disruptions to the supply chain and the supply of labour in the food and agriculture sector will need to be carefully considered as negotiations progress.

The groundbreaking Harmony in Food and Farming Conference explained why a sustainable food culture sits naturally at the heart of an inspiring philosophy for harmonious living, says Craig Sams

Some business disciplines are relevant only to specific industries; many others, however, transcend different sectors. There is a key manufacturing discipline, known as capacity management, which is as important in retail planning as it is in factory management.

Despite the anti-vitamin propaganda, vitamin C actually works – depending on the dose. That’s the conclusion of the most recent and most thorough review published this year by Professor Harri Hemila from the University of Helsinki, including a clear exposé of the flaws that were used to falsely discredit vitamin C.

This August saw the Brexit Secretary David Davis launch a series of new ‘position papers’ that set out the Government’s thinking on a whole range of Brexit related issues – some of which, such as future customs arrangements between the EU and a post-departure UK, are very relevant indeed for the natural products industry.

August sees the traditional pause in the Parliamentary calendar, and a chance in recent years to pause for breath between momentous political events. It is also an opportunity to look ahead to what may take place in the busy Parliamentary session taking us to the end of the year.

The big conflict of our age is between Big Government and the MAAFIA (Microsoft Apple Alphabet Facebook Instagram Amazon), says Craig Sams. The implications...

Coconut oil has, for some time now, been regarded as an ingredient du jour. Interestingly, the very quality that once turned detractors against eating it – high saturated-fat content – is what now elevates it in beauty. It is rich in lauric acid, a fatty acid that kills bacteria, and is working its way into a plethora a personal care products.

Cheryl Thallon, founder of Viridian Nutrition, speaks to Diane Millis about the changes in the natural products industry over the past 21 years.

It’s not often that I champion a single brand to be taken up by independents – it’s not really what us journalists with integrity do – but on this occasion, I’m willing to break my rule.

Diane Millis speaks to the chair of the Gluten Free Industry Association, Simon Wright, to find out what it hopes to achieve.

Just five months into the year, and Google already has a clear front-runner when it comes to the most searched beauty trend of 2017: masking.

Founded in 1992 by Lizzie Vann, organic children’s food brand Organix is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and is set to become a £40 million business. Here, managing director Anna Rosier talks to NPN about her 13 years at the brand.

Britain’s chefs can play a key role in raising public awareness about the stealth statics being used to sneak GMOs onto restaurant menus.

April has become the month when emerging trends and new product developments come to the fore for natural and organic retailers, as well as the sector overall, and this is due in no small part to the Natural Beauty & Spa show.

We’re only one month into 2017 and it’s already well on its way to making its mark as the year of innovative packaging.