Goldilocks and the Three Grrs

I recently received an email from a New Zealand bulk whole-foods retailer that contained a recipe advertised as a ‘Seasonal Pantry to Plate Recipe’: Creamy Cacao & Cashew Oat Porridge with Caramelised Dates.

My first Grr: This porridge.
There is absolutely NOTHING seasonal about this porridge 🤦🏼‍♀️ And, oddly enough, in the body of their email, they also refer to these ingredients as being “Autumn Pantry Staples” — which makes no blimin’ sense what-so-ever?!

So, just to clarify here, there is nothing staple about this recipe either — except for the oats (that are imported from Canada!🇨🇦🍁) A staple is a basic, inexpensive, everyday food that forms a significant part of a culture’s diet. Clearly cacao, cashews, and dates are not a primary food source for the average Kiwi.¹

My second Grr: This sort of thing.
It confuses the bejesus out of people. Because, for some bizarre reason, the public think that just because someone sells whole-foods (or runs a whole-foods cafe) that they’re health experts. So they don’t think to query what they are being told and sold.

My third Grrr:  This sort of thing!
Whole-foods retailers (or whole-foods cafe owners) confuse the bejesus out of people. Because, for some bizarre reason, these retailers think that they are health experts. So they don’t think to query what they are saying and selling.🤦🏼‍♀️

Over the last couple of decades of me studying and then practicing Naturopathy, I’ve seen a lot of this occur (the generating, and spreading of health related misinformation), which has caused much confusion for the clients I work with. However, when I finally get fed-up with it, and I (an actual health professional!) dare challenge this thinking (their misleading advertising!), unfortunately I’m generally the one who gets ‘called out for calling these people out’. The real problem being that some people actually want to believe their bollocks because their recipes sound yummy and the image looks pretty 😏

Note: Oh, I’m just thinking about some of the articles I’ve written on Kombucha, Green Smoothies, Collagen supplements etc etc etc!

On their website they state that they “strive to source as much as we can locally”. However, if you search their online store, and type in “local” it only comes up with two products (and these two products also contain imported ingredients). This says to me: that either we (NZ) suck or that they do. Maybe they’re not striving hard enough.

And, if you search: “New Zealand” on their website there are very few results (out of a possible 187 ‘food’ options) that come up as being grown or sourced from NZ. Those being:
1) Honey 
2) Kumara crisps
3) Macadamias
4) Pearl barley (hulled)
5) Popcorn kernels
6) Pumpkin seeds
7) Quinoa (puffed)
8) Salt
9) Semolina Flour
10) Soybeans
11) Split green peas, and apparently …
12) Decadent Dates?!?

(Medjool dates covered in cacao, and other imported ingredients?! This is clearly a typo, and hopefully the only one on their website 🙏🏻)

Note: There are actually many food items that come up for NZ simply because the food item is either roasted, activated, ground, packed, or made here from imported ingredients. 

It’s misleading to say: seasonal, local, or staple when referring to a business that primarily sells imported food.

Leftfield Innovation Limited — a New Zealand-based group of sustainable food leaders (crop scientists, technologists and business innovators) have said otherwise.

They produced a ‘Specialty Grains & Pulses Report’ in 2019… before we were even concerned with food security, and producing locally (Post-Covid-19 lockdown). According to this report, rather than import certain grains and pulses we could grow them right here in our own ‘backyard’ — and sustainably so! They very much believe it doesn’t have to be animal farming vs plant farming, that both can co-exist together in a mixed farming system, creating more value and diversity from the land.

The research team identified six crops (out of a possible 22) with high potential for New Zealand farmers:
Buckwheat
Chickpeas
Hemp
Oats
Quinoa, and
Soy

More in-depth research is currently in progress!²

These staples (with gluten-free options to boot!) would provide protein, omega 3, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and fibre.

This grain and pulse medley would not only be satiating, but also healthy: to balance blood sugar; to manage weight; to aid digestion; to protect the heart; to help the skin, hormones, immune system, and more.

This would also ensure that we were eating in alignment with our NZ climate/environment, and seasons.

The grains and pulses would be consumed alongside other New Zealand grown:

Staples
Barley
Beans (broad, butter, green, navy, runner)
Corn
Nuts (as above)
Seeds (pumpkin, sunflower)
Split green peas, and 
Omega-9 oils (avocado, macadamia, olive)

Perishables
Meat, dairy, eggs, and seafood (if you are so inclined)
Fresh produce

And you could add a few carefully selected exotic foodstuffs/speciality items for occasional use: 
Grains: millet, and rice
Pulses: lentils, mung beans, and peanuts
Nuts: cashews, and brazil nuts
Seeds: linseed, and sesame seeds
Misc: nutritional yeast flakes, cacao, dates, black pepper, cumin, and smoked paprika.

Note: It’s actually possible to grow all of these exotic foods in NZ  (bar black pepper). You could grow your own stash if you were so inclined (obviously depending on where you live in the country).

Just to be really clear about what I’m actually saying…
This is a bulk whole-foods retailer — a grocer, if you will.

I actually appreciate their products, and the information they provide on their specialty items (what it is, how to use it, how to store it to ensure its freshness, its country of origin (!!), and some basic nutrition info.)

I just don’t appreciate all the marketing puffery 😣