BC: Cranberry Festival is On Oct 10th

Oct 10, 2009 from 10 AM onwardsIt is the 14th annual Cranberry Festival in Fort Langley23433 Mavis Avenuewww.pc.gc.ca/fortlangley604-513-4777

New crop proclaimed

Farm Boy in Ottawa is alerting the shopper to new crop apples.

This is very essential because even though there is an interest inlocal production, many shoppers aren't aware of the seasons of variousitems.

Grapes the secret of anti-aging?

*University of California, Berkely publish an monthly newsletter on nutrition, fitness and self-care.

Some of the produce highlights of September's issue:

*Resveratrol:* one of the many naturally occurring plant chemicals called polyphenols. Guess where it is found? Grapes, blueberries, and red wine (not nearly as much in white wine) *

All I know is that the French (which will change as food manufacturers make there way steadily into Europe) seem to eat a lot of fatty foods and enjoy their wines and appear to be healthier (and slimmer) than those of us living in North America.

*Bananas are touted for their potassium levels* (and did you know a 6 inch banana and a serving of two kiwifruit gives you the same amount of potassium).

Many seniors need potassium but having spoken to hundreds over the years I know they often get tired of bananas. It it great to advise seniors that kiwifruit also contains potassium (mind you it also contains seeds that can be a problem for some seniors).

This is one are where produce departments could help shoppers - engage them in conversation or simply cut out an article that related to a produce item on hand and post it (but make sure that it gets changed regularly).*

Further on there is a piece on *eating Ginger for motion sickness*. When I was in Bali I was served *wonderful ginger tea* - the simply took a bulb of tea and smashed it. Placed it into a cup and then poured hot water over it. The article notes there is little scientific data to back up the claims however other sources such as Phyllis Balch's Prescription for Nutritional Healing has another take on ginger - it is suggested for those with poor appetite might benefit from ginger. And over the years it has been suggested for nausea and motion sickness. It is also useful for bowel disorders, circulatory problems, arthritis, fever, headache, hot flashes, indigestion, morning sickenss, muscle pain, nausea and vomiting.

With ginger there are some cautions i.e do not use it if you have high blood pressure. Not recommended for people who take anticoagulants or have gallstones. Not for extended use during pregnancy.

Shoppers can be a little short-sighted

There are a lot of buzz words out there in the grocery world - an email recently crossed my desk that had Blischok's view on 10 things he believes that retailers and manufacturers need to know about the changing shopper - note, this does apply to the USA.

This was one of the tips: A/mong Millennials, Hispanics and Baby Boomers, there is broad support for tactics that are helping them survive -- shopping multiple stores for the lowest prices, using online resources to find coupons, buying larger quantities earlier in the month and buying more multi-functional items./

What I find challenging is how we continue to segment the market into every smaller sections - in this case Millennials, Hispanics and Baby Boomers (and I'm not sure quite given that one could be Hispanic and then either a Millennial or a Baby Boomer).

What I do find troubling is how shortsighted consumers can be.

*Shopping multiple stores for the lowest prices:* sure that works if the stores are close but if you are driving your car from store to store or taking public transit, are you really saving that much? A few dollars here and a few dollars there might add up but it is worth the time of the person doing that?

*Using online resources to find coupons:* Those coupons would not be there unless a manufacturer puts them there. And there are several great sites where you can find these coupons. This will be an arena to watch as time evolves - the internet continues to rattle our brains everyday and it will continue to surprise us. There is number of people who aren't on the internet - don't own a computer - and don't seem to be too interested in going there. Will they become the ignored consumer?

*Buying larger quantities earlier in the month:* This is great if you have the space - where else does one put 24 rolls of toilet paper - maybe use it as a pillow until you unload it all? Or perhaps these very same people are living in those massive homes that I often see. But what do you do with a 4 pack of Clamato juice?*Buying more multi-functional items:* That makes sense to me but I'm not sure if consumers will want to have an all in one shampoo and conditioner. The multi-functional items must work.

//

Sobeys to charge 5 cents per bag in Quebec

The ad says it all "stock up on resuable bags!" - starting Oct 1, plastic and paper bags will cost 5 cents each.The odd part is that they are also charging for paper bags.

I had thought that the debate was on plastic bags and reducing the amount of petroleum based products being tossed.

More details on page 15 (since when did flyers start to number their pages) - so I flipped open to page 15.I'm not at the age where I need bifocals or progressive lens but the 6 point font they are using is rather small.

There is also a customer service number listed - it is white reversed out on red.I am not a designer but if I didn't want to have shoppers calling me this would be a good colour combination Montreal 514-324-8254 or toll free 1-800-465-2139