Supermarket cafes accused of being irresponsible in children’s food offering

The Soil Association has revealed a new league table ranking children’s food at 28 popular chains, with some accused of offering irresponsible menus.

The Out to Lunch league table, compiled by the Soil Association with a team of secret diner children and parents, has persuaded 13 chains to commit to serving two portions of veg with every child’s meal within the next 12 months.

JD Wetherspoon topped the league table, followed by Ikea and Harvester, with organic and sustainable ingredients and lots of veg on the menu. Children’s meals in the highest scoring chains were on average £1 cheaper than meals in the lowest scoring chains, showing that price isn’t a barrier to good food.

But even with an increase in fresh vegetables and organic food across the high street, many chains are serving children unhealthy and unsustainable meals – despite 88 per cent of parents saying that children’s food in high street chains isn’t good enough, and 70 per cent saying environmental sustainability is important to them.

One such offender was Marks & Spencer Café, which serves no veg on the children’s menu, and several chains are offering excessively sugary puddings. Hungry Horse’s Mini-Mania Sundae was found to contain 56.2g of sugar and 495kcal, more than double a child’s daily sugar allowance. Several chains, including Bella Italia and Giraffe, were found to be serving children single-use plastics, such as cups and straws and others, such as Las Iguanas and Café Rouge, are “dishing up deforestation” by serving meat fed with uncertified animal feed.

Supermarket cafes, which serve millions of meals each year, were included in the league table for the first time alongside high street chains. They generally scored near the bottom of the table, with no British meat served at Tesco Café, mouldy fruit at Morrisons Café, and ASDA Café declining to say whether they use free range eggs.

Hattie Shepherd, Soil Association Policy Officer, commented: “Out to Lunch has kickstarted a veg revolution on the high street, with more than a dozen chains committing to serving two portions of veg with every child’s meal. But many chains are being irresponsible and failing to offer children the food they deserve. Parents would be shocked if they knew popular chains were dishing up deforestation to their children – especially when it’s clear from top performing chains like Wetherspoon and Ikea that cost isn’t a barrier to healthy and sustainable food. And why are British chains and supermarkets sourcing meat from Thailand and China over British farmers? Our children deserve better.”

In response to the campaign, 13 chains have committed to serving two portions of veg with every child’s meal within the next 12 months – Harvester, Ikea, ASK Italian, Zizzi, Giraffe, Hungry Horse, Wetherspoon, Prezzo, Leon, Wahaca, Wagamama, Sainsbury’s café and Brewers Fayre.

An M&S spokesperson told Organic & Natural Business: “Our apple slices pot, as well as loose apples, satsumas and bananas, are all offered as part of our M&S café kids meal deal. Prior to this survey, we’ve already begun looking at extending our kids menu to offer more great quality, fresh food choices for families visiting our cafes.”

Have you booked your place?

With the 2019 Natural Health Trade Summit drawing closer, be sure not to miss out on the independent retail event of the year.

Registration is now open and filling up for the fifth NHT Summit.

The 2019 offering is shaping up to be the most buoyant yet, with a bigger range of exhibitors than ever, and a higher than expected number of retailers set to attend.

The event is held in association with the National Association of Health Stores (NAHS), and is designed for independent health food retailers only, who are invited to come together for a day of business, networking and learning.
Taking part at The Principal Hotel, in Manchester, on October 13, this year, we also benefit from the sponsorship of Bee Health, Tree of Life, CSY, and Optima, while The Health Store is sponsoring our welcome drinks event the night before the show.

So, what can be expected from this year’s event?

We’re excited to be presenting a diverse mix of exhibitors, which will be in excess of 100, from well-known brands in the market, including A.Vogel, Viridian, Pravera, ADM Protexin, Natures Aid, Pharma Nord, Terranova, BetterYou and Absolute Aromas, to newer brands to exhibit, such as Cannakinetic, Celtic Wind Crops, Elenzia and Neubria.
In addition to the exhibition, the event will also host a series of informative roundtable sessions, all designed to help you as independent retailers learn and network in an informal environment to discuss ideas and initiatives that can help to grow your sales.

The themes for the roundtables are currently in the process of being confirmed and are due to be announced in the next few weeks. Keep an eye out at www.nhtsummit.co.uk for full details and timing.

Networking is the word

We know how important it is for you as retailers to network with both fellow health food store owners and also your suppliers, and this informal event is the perfect vehicle for that.

As already mentioned, there is a free welcome drinks reception, being held at The Principal Hotel, on October 12 and all are welcome.

In addition, a free three course buffet lunch will also be laid on during the day, giving retailers plenty of time to catch up over some healthy food. Refreshments are also served, free of charge, through the course of the day.

Keep an eye out for our September issue of Health Food Business, in which we will be revealing more details about the event, and specific themes for the round table sessions.

Pre-registration for the event is essential and cannot be done on the day. Registration is free and can be completed by visiting www.nhtsummit.co.uk. 

Tea brand forms new partnership

It has been announced that the global rights to the UK-based yerba mate brand, Yuyo Drink, have been acquired by a German company.

Meta Mate has joined forces with Yuyo, which will see operations for both companies consolidated in Berlin. With the new partnership, together the two brands are pitching themselves as a European mate powerhouse, the go-to source for consumers looking for the whole range of mate products, from drinking cups and loose mate through to teabags and energy drinks.

Meta Mate founder, Fabricio do Canto, explained: ” We first met the Yuyo co-founders when they stopped by our shop in Prenzlauer Berg to share a mate back in 2016. From the very beginning we felt we really identified with one another and knew there was a synergy there. We have been collaborating ever since and this is the natural next step in our union.”

Industry leaders secure Queens Award

Natracare has secured high praise after winning a Queen’s Award for International Trade. The Bristol-based personal care company won the accolade following 30 years of sustained growth and innovation in a competitive market. Still family-owned with just 20 staff, it has successfully built markets in over 80 countries.

Natracare’s product range includes certified organic cotton tampons, plastic free organic and natural pads for periods, new mothers and incontinence, as well as certified organic cotton wipes and nursing pads. Most recently, the brand hit the national headlines for creating the very first Water UK Fine to Flush approved flushable wipes.

On achieving this award, founder Susie Hewson, commented: “Winning the Queen’s Award has been an incredible honour. Starting life as a creative child in a working class, inner-city home, I never expected to receive an award as prestigious as this. When you’re busy running a business, you’re always right in the middle of everything, and there’s not often time to step back and take stock of your achievements. An award as prestigious as this reminds me how far we’ve come. I am proud that Natracare has been able to reach out across the world to women, forging friends through trade and shared values.”

The award is valid for five years and gives Natracare the right to use The Queen’s Award emblem and to fly the Queen’s Award flag at their head offices in Bristol.

Also scooping a Queen’s Award is one of Britain’s last remaining tea blenders, Only Natural Products.

The family owned Gloucestershire tea producer, whose brands include Higher Living and Dr Stuart’s teas, won its second Queens Award for International Trade.

Currently exporting to over 60 countries worldwide, with this number continuing to rise, last year, Only Natural Products sold more than 60m teabags, 80 per cent of which were exported. “We’re obsessed with quality”, explained CEO, Keith Garden. “Whereas many British tea companies are cutting costs by outsourcing their production abroad to countries such as China and India, we’re committed to quality and to the UK because to our customers it acts a guarantee that they’re getting the very best. Britain is still very much regarded as the all-out expert in blending and production.”

Natural skincare brand unveils global climate campaign

Dr Bronner’s has announced the launch of its Heal Earth! campaign in more than 20 countries.

The natural bodycare and personal care brand has released a new documentary, Journey to Pavitramenthe, designed to highlight supply chain solutions for climate resilience. The seven-minute documentary details the community of 1,500 farmers in Bareilly, India, who produce the fair trade and organic mint oil used in Dr Bronner’s products through regenerative agricultural practices. It can be viewed online by visiting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkkk5FjNyQw

Through educational events, in-store demonstrations and promotions, product giveaways, and social media campaigns, the brand’s partners worldwide will use retail and community spaces to inform and educate the public about the collective need to ‘Heal Earth!’ in Australia, Austria, Europe, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Panama, Singapore, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Taiwan, the UK and U.S. In the UK, Dr Bronner’s is selling a limited edition Heal Earth labelled liquid soap.

“We recognise the importance of our small-scale farming partners using regenerative organic agricultural practices to increase soil fertility and revitalise farming communities in making our range of biodegradable products,” commented Cliff Moss, Dr Bronner’s UK distributor. “We are proud to be part of this global effort to educate and demonstrate what is possible working together for climate solutions within our business model.”