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Show Page seventeen Health food sales wholesome as ever fad? A fashion? Who knows? but business is getting fat A by Milt Foliczer Enterprise Staff Writer Be it fad or panacea, the health food business is flourishing, in Utah and across the nation. A survey by the Enterprise of local health food stores showed sales have boomed during the last year. Its like a scare, said Merrily Ronniger, manager of Whole Earth Natural Foods. A lot of people are becoming more aware of what theyre eating. Whole Earth has been in business for seven years and grown each year, she said. They took in about $31,000 in revenue last year and are doing a lot better this year. Mike Circuit, owner of Natures Way Organic Market, reported the trend is toward much more natural, wholesome, unadulterated, chemical-fre- e foods. He also said his business has grown every year since he started five years ago. now is up to $200,000 a year and business this year is a half to a third better than last year. . Circuit said his clientele was mostly hippies at first, but now people from all walks of life walk into his store, including people from out of state or city who wish they had a similar store in their area, and members of the Relief Society, who are learning to sprout seeds. Because natural foods have gained new popularity. Circuit said, a number of health food stores have changed their names to include the word natural. Walt DeLand, manager of Walt DeLands Nutrition Center, said his business has jumped by a third this year, and as many as 400 customers eat lunch in his store daily. He expects that figure to rise to as high as 700 once a new salad bar is installed next month. DeLand, who began selling vitamins from his home 18 years ago, said the now is biggest boom Revenue coming from protein. Protein, in both powder and liquid form, is used for both body building and dieting, he said. Vitamins are also increasingly popular. According to DeLand, wholesale vitamin sales of NuLife Co. are up 56 percent nationally. Spokespeople at Scheib-ner- s Health Store, Comich-aux- s Health Food Store, and General Nutrition Center (which has 500 stores nationwide) also all reported sales boosts this year. Slow in groceries But health food in groc- ery stores, apparently arent quite so attractive. In a grocery store, I dont know whether people look for it, said Ron Biggs, grocery merchandiser for Albertsons. Biggs said Albertsons stocks a pretty good line of health foods which includes items such as raw sugar, yeast, soy flour, teas, and sesame oil, but sales of these items are very slow. A spokesperson at Safeway also reported stocking a but very good selection could not supply sales information. The new popularity of health foods may be making people in the business happy, but not everyone thinks its a good thing. Were trying to steer people away from health foods, said Dr. Maria Hund-ruprofessor nutrition and director of the food and nutrition program at the University of Utah College of Health. Health faddism is flourshe ishing in this valley, said, and there are a lot of food quacks around. People are misinformed, she continued. Its very easy to fool people if they dont have the background. She cited protein supplements as an example of something that usually isnt necessary. According to the National Research Council, p, Walt DeLands Nutrition Center restaurant is usually crowded about lunch time . Manager and former owner Walt Deland has stretched his imagination and available she said, a person needs .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. Thats 46 grams for the average female and 56 for the average male. A glass of milk has nine grams of protein and two servings of meat (a serving being as small as a slice of lunch meat) have 25. Cereals and bread also provide protein. Protein adds up very in the diet, she said. quickly Most people are already overconsuming protein, she said, and that can cause stress on the kidney which must get rid of nitrogen produced by the body when protein is used. Weve abused vitamins every' since they wrere discovered and synthesized, said Hundrup. The body cannot use more than it needs and overdoses can be detrimental, she said. According to Hundrup, people should determine how' much of a vitamin they arc already getting in their foods and then see if more is needed. She called the practice of taking as much as 2,000 mg. a day of vitamin C total stupidity. Concern not necessary if not for the use of preservatives. Hundrup called for more education about nutrition in the school system. Dr. Arnold Pike, a California chiropractor who is director of information and conventions of the National Nutritional Food Association, expressed a different point of view. He said vitamin supplements were necessary because much of the nutrients in food are lost in storage, during shipment, upon exposure to light or heat, or in cooking. Also, foods grown in over-use- d soil may not possess sufficient nutrients, he said. He cited pesticides, chemical fertilizers and additives and pollution as causes of the increase in cancer in recent years. The less we depend on chemical fertilizers, the better off our bodies will be, he said. Nature is much wiser than man has been. n Pike, who hosts a talk show entitled Viewpoint on Nutrition, cited a report by the U.S. Senate Nutrition Committee that showed the average radio-televisio- Americans diet is lacking in proper nutrients and people are throwing money away on empty type foods, i.e. Hundrup also said the concern over chemical fertilizers and preservatives was unnecessary. She pointed out plants cannot absorb inorThe soil ganic materials. must first convert the chemicals to an organic state. She said half the population might suffer starvation ... space to ac commodate the daily influx of lunchers , who prefer their soup and alfalfa sprouts served fast-foo- d style. Business is healthy. convenience and junk foods. The average American Pike said, is constipated, because of eating processed foods lacking in fiber. And 98 percent of Americans suffer from tooth decay, a disease ':. Money Available from your own accounts receivable. Your goodwill treated respectfully while collecting on those past due receivables. Standard Adjustment Bureau US East Third South 510 Judge Building-Suit- e 1 Salt Lake City 322-120- 484-090- 1 said. The NNFA, he said, is fighting attempts by the Food and Drug Administration to place restrictions on the use of food supplements and to reclassify potent vitamin doses as drugs. The Association is also trying to get the FDA to ban harmful additives. The NNFA also promotes public education about nutrition, Pike said. Whether or not that education is necessary, the health food industry is now' thriving. Although members (who include retailers, manufacturers, distributors, and educators) do not report sales figures to the NNFA, Pike said the industry's prosperity could be measured by attendance at the associations annual convention last month in Las Vegas. There were 350 exhibits by health food distributors and manufacturers this year, 100 more than the preceding year, Pike said. Had more room in the hotel been available, more exhibits would have been shown. Over 3,500 enthusiasts attended, which was over 1,000 more than last year, and speakers included prominent medical and political figures, he said. All the health food stores are doing, really, is providing an alternative to convenience foods, Pike said. - 1 2302 Parleys Way that could be avoided if less sugar w'ere consumed. The report also concluded six of the leading causes of death in this country are attributable to poor diet. 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