Proud to be organic (From Penarth Times)

Proud to be organic

PENARTH has a secret and it's changing many people's lives.

It's hidden away in the depths of Glebe Street and is promoting healthy eating and living. So what is it? Well it's Jo's Organic Stores which celebrates its third birthday next month.

Filled with the most glorious selection of organic fruits, vegetables, rice, bread, eggs, meat and even household goods, it is certainly doing its bit in bringing natural goodness to the town.

Run by husband and wife team Jo and Neill Shah, the shop opened in May 1999 after the couple went travelling through France, Italy and Greece.

Neill, 37, said: "Jo and I were both teachers. I taught in London and Jo, a Penarth girl, was at Fairfield School.

"We decided to give up teaching for a bit and travelled for five months. We were interested in environmental things. While we were in France we saw lots of markets, small shops and farmers selling local products."

Father-of-one Neill added: "We compared that with the supermarket system here and thought it was a much better way of doing things. We then came back and had this idea for an organic shop."

Now they are stocked up with all sorts of delicious foods, with special products like soya, rice and oat milk, gluten free food, wholemeal and seeded breads and more.

Neill said: "Jo and I do this because we believe in it."

So what is so good about organic food?

It means that crops are naturally grown, with the farmer feeding the soil with natural manure and compost. The crops are rotated so earth is rich and crumbly and full of worms. As a result, the crops grow strong and vibrant.

Chemically dependent crops are forced up from impoverished soil by ever-increasing doses of toxic pesticides and fertilisers.

Organically grown food promotes health, sustains the earth and supports our immune system.

Organic meat comes from livestock which grazes in fields as nature intended.

Non-organic meat could come from animals fed on unnatural foods such as concentrated feeds. They are sometimes kept in pens to fatten them. Sometimes growth hormones, antibiotics and disease-suppressants are used, the residues of which we would ingest if we ate the meat.

Eating organic is especially important for children. Their food consumption, relative to their body mass, is very high, so their ingestion of chemicals is also higher pro-rata than adults.

Food crops, whether fruit, vegetables, grains, pulses, nuts or seeds often contain residues of toxic fertilisers and pesticides, designed to kill living organisms.

As a result of the organic/non-organic debate, more and more Penarthians are choosing to go to Jo's.

It is old-fashioned shopping, where you get personal service and are given a refreshing dose of community spirit. Staff spend time talking to their customers, and what's nice, the customers chat with each other.

The popularity of Jo's cannot be doubted. Penarthians Stan and Bronwen Roberts often shop there.

Bronwen said: "Jo's Organics arrival in Penarth was a dream come true for us. We had been buying organic produce mainly through the box scheme which was a bit unsatisfactory because we like to see what we're getting beforehand.

"Here we can choose fresh, organic vegetables which are delivered to the shop twice weekly, but we can get all our other groceries here as well, and also environmentally friendly cleaning products."

She added: "It takes a fraction of the time compared with trailing round the supermarket and in addition we benefit from the friendly personal service and home delivery if needed.

"Organic produce may be a bit dearer than chemically-produced food, but it doesn't cost the earth and generally is ethically produced to boot."

Julia Steinson, who works at the shop, now ties it in with running relaxation classes. On Mondays they're at Rest Hall in Arcot Street from 7pm to 8.30pm, while on Fridays they are at Penarth Leisure Centre from 1pm to 2.30pm.

l Contact Jo's Organic Stores on 2071 1169 or Julia Steinson on 2063 5221.