8th Day News
Natural Products Award 2013 – Best Independent Retailer 2013
The winners of the coveted Natural & Organic Awards 2013 were announced last night in The Champagne Suite at Novotel London West, after the close of business of the first day of the Natural & Organic Products Europe trade show.
Now in its eighteenth year, the annual awards brought together over 430 industry professionals to recognise and celebrate the standout brands and products of the year. Hosted jointly by Natural Products magazine and the Soil Association, and sponsored by Fitness Pharma by Natupharma, the 2013 Awards were presented by popular TV presenter Michaela Strachan, well known for her BBC wildlife programmes Autumnwatch, Elephant Diaries, and The Really Wild Show.
The 2013 Natural & Organic Awards attracted a wealth of high calibre entrants from all across the UK, whilst this year’s New Product Showcase awards, which were voted for by visitors to the show on Sunday 7 April, saw a record 297 entries (including organic food, food, special diet, drink, natural living & home, VMS, and natural beauty & spa categories), were voted for by visitors to the show’s New Product Showcase throughout Sunday 7 April.
“The standard of entries this year was truly exceptional, right across the board,” said Jim Manson, editor of Natural Products. “This year’s new product awards show how creativity and innovation is thriving in our industry; while the retailer awards were tougher than ever to judge and evidence of the remarkably high standard of natural products retailing today.”
Speaking about the awards, Rob Sexton, CEO, Soil Association Certification, said: “I was delighted to attend and present some of this year’s awards. We know there is a strong future in the UK organic market and the Soil Association is proud to celebrate the leadership and commitment of innovators within this vibrant growing area of the organic sector.”
BEST INDEPENDENT RETAILER
Winner: On the Eight Day Cooperative Ltd
Finalist: Waterloo Body Station
Finalist: Alexandra Worsley
Give Credit where it’s due!
If you’re in Manchester on Wednesday, or shopping at 8th Day, why not stop for a chat with Christine Moore, from Manchester Credit Union? She’ll be spending a few hours promoting credit unions, which ties in nicely with the end of ‘Move your Money’ month.
Find out why you should move your money: what’s in it for you? More to the point, what’s in it for others? I save with South Manchester Credit Union, and my journey began when I was doing research into Cash ISAs several years ago: did it matter which bank I chose? How much interest could I earn? Did I have to ‘lock up’ my money to make more? I do have a cash ISA, but to be truthful, I have felt many pangs of guilt when thinking about people with no savings, or indeed bank accounts or access to loans. There are societal pressures to be earning as much you can from your savings, but let’s face it, how many people can afford a financial adviser? I have looked at the Ethiscore of banks many times via Ethical Consumer online (I bank with the co-op now and would never change) and after reading about credit unions, I decided that I must put (some of) my money where my mouth is. I had heard of credit unions but hadn’t given them much thought, or didn’t really know much about them. The Ethical Consumer article I read was really informative and a big seed was sown.
It took me ages to actually set up my account (no fault of the credit union, just my procrastinating ways), and it was a sign outside a church in Levenshulme that finally got me: nothing to do with Jesus, of course, just a sign saying that it was paying in day. After paying the initial fee to the priest (who is a volunteer for South Mancester Credit Union) I then set up a direct debit, for ease. I must admit, it does make me feel all warm inside, but not smug…me? Never!
South Manchester Credit Union www.smcreditunion.co.uk
Manchester Credit Union www.manchestercreditunion.co.uk
Welcome
Hello, and welcome to our new website, which you will have discovered (as you are reading it), has a blog page…come here for info on special events, health testimonials and topics which interest us as a veggie worker co-op. On the home page you can now easily sign up to our email newsletter, which will be sent out approximately once a month, detailing special offers, new products and events.
We will also be regularly updating the recipe page, so you’ll find new dishes rubbing shoulders with many old favourites: as we have a new team of chefs, expect to see some real innovation.
Well, that’s all for now – hope to see you soon!
Weleda Insight Day
On Friday Melissa and Sally from the the Bodycare Team in the Shop were lucky enough to go to a Weleda Insight Day at their UK HQ in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. There was a good mix of other healthfood store staff, beauty bloggers and therapists. The day started with a cup of tea and a quick welcome talk from Weleda which focussed on their history and ethos. Then it was onto the minibus for a tour around Weleda’s incredible gardens. Weleda grow a lot of their own herbs and botanicals and have gardens all over the world from New Zealand to France. Where botanicals are grown, Weleda ensure that fair trade and fair pricing farming projects are used to help local communities. The company pay a fair price for the labour and ingredients. Three hundred species of plants alone are grown in the gardens in Ilkeston, impressive eh?
In the gardens we were met by Weleda’s retired head gardener Michael, who is a wealth of knowledge! I n the gardens there are every variety of plant from pretty flowers to green plants, including some that were poisonous to touch! We spent a couple of hours in the gardens and while we were there we also learnt about the importance of the bees and other pollinating insects, and discovered the how important the approach to biodynamic farming is to Weleda and how important it is for continues soil health.
After a delicious,locally made lunch, we had additional talks focusing on the products as well a some fun interactive sessions which highlighted the differences between natural products like Weleda’s and soem of the products commonly found on the high street. Then it was back to the train station and home to Manchester, full of new found knowledge and a passion for all things Weleda!
Christmas Raffle for Manchester Mind (reg Charity 219830)
Last year we had a raffle at Christmas and raised money for Crisis at Christmas. This year we wanted to run another one and decided to choose a local charity rather than national charity and having supported Manchester Mind before and learning about the fantastic mental health support they provide for local residents we decided we would try to raise some money and their profile at the same time.
Here’s a little bit about what they do:
“Manchester Mind is in independent local mental health charity which delivers services to young people and adults. Our vision is of a city that promotes good mental health and treats people with mental health problems positively, fairly and with respect.
We are committed to improving the lives of people with mental health needs. We promote the health and wellbeing of people affected by mental distress and take a positive approach to mental health, challenging stereotypes and discrimination.
We listen to and respect people who use our services, value their experiences and place them at the centre of service delivery and development. We enable people with mental health needs to improve their health and wellbeing to reach their full potential. We work with people so they can live more successfully in their communities. Above all, we aim to create a positive future for people who use our services or volunteer.”
Lots of people don’t realise that charities like Manchester Mind rely on donations so that they can provide their invaluable services. If you want to find out more about Manchester Mind, you can read about them here.
Each of our raffle tickets costs just £1 and all of the proceeds will go directly to Manchester Mind alongside a donation from our Co-op. The winner of the raffle will receive our fabulous hamper filled with lots of healthy goodies. If you are entering our raffle, good luck!
National Chocolate Week
From the 10th of October it’s National Chocolate Week, hurrah a whole week dedicated to the delicious cocoa bean treat!
Chocolate Week, definitely one the nation’s favourite themed weeks, returns for it’s 12th consecutive year and celebrates the world of fine chocolate from 10th to 16th October, 2016. Chocolate Week aims to promote fine flavour chocolate, the independent artisan chocolatiers and the chocolate companies who work in direct partnership with cocoa farmers, encouraging consumers to pay a fairer price for their chocolate.
At 8th day we only work with chocolate suppliers who are committed to either organic or fair-trade and in many instances both elements, why? Because we think that the farmers who grow the cocoa beans we enjoy as chocolate should be paid a fair price that allows them to invest in their own and their families futures and we feel they should not have to come into contact with pesticides and herbicides. It’s a really important part of our buying ethics and something we feel very strongly about and we hope you do too.
Over the week we’ll be hosting lots of tasting sessions of organic and fairtrade chocolate including some that is made in fairly locally in Cheshire by a small pure origin producer, so come on in and treat your taste buds .
Focus on Winter Wellness
Keeping Winter Well - Our Top 5 products
The change of season from Autumn is here and winter has now definitely arrived! So prepare the best way you can by using nature’s arsenal to keep you warm and well over the coming chilly months.
First on the table is the tried and trusted Vitamin C, high in antioxidants and great to take at the onset of a cold, when you feel that first tingle. Food sources include, broccoli, peppers and oranges, take with zinc (found in pumpkin seeds) to give an additional boost.
Secondly, we have the herb Echinacea, this is another very popular remedy and one we get asked about regularly during the cold season. Echinacea elevates the white blood cell count, enhancing antibody activity to help the body fight off infections. It's best taken at the very start of a cold and can be taken either in a liquid tincture form or dried in the form of tablets or capsules.
Next up, we have mushrooms! Not the common field mushroom we’re used to, but varieties such as reishi, maitake, shitake. These varieties contain Beta Glucans, which are classed as immunomodulators, in short, these make your immune system smarter, thus increasing the bodies defences when fighting off infection.
Our pick of the fruits is Black Elderberry, you might see this growing wild in the hedgerows if you’re out walking in the country, but don’t pick the berries and eat them raw, you’ll get an upset tum! Black Elderberry, has impressive anti-viral properties, which help to reduce the duration of influenza symptoms, by inhibiting a mechanism required for viral replication.
Last, but by no means least, we suggest taking a good probiotic. This will create an army of defence against pathogens and give your body increased protection. Eating fermented foods like sauerkraut and drinking kefir can also help as their prebiotic properties increase the population of good bacteria within the body.
Please note: The content of this article is not intended to treat or diagnose any condition you may have and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.