SWAP!

Sophie Morris is popular! Her posts on supermarket swaps have been a gamechanger for so many people and it is no wonder that people resonate with simpler advice that cuts through the confusion of the choices in the supermarket. I really hope that it makes it easier for older people too as they navigate the maze of shopping. The odd time I do find myself in a large supermarket this is one thing I do notice – how lost the older folk are there. Technology advancements have meant there is less time to chat, ask for help and quite honestly I can not imagine how hellish the environment is if you are suffering mentally. Sophie has made it easier and well done to her! Of course she will have her critics… how qualified is she etc to give advice...we do love to wave the qualification flag when a message doesn’t suit us. The thing is I used to bring people around supermarkets in person to teach them about food in person before social media. But now I think differently. If you have to read labels then there is a process of production involved. Production at scale means quality suffers. The due care along the way can slip up. The accountability and responsibility is diluted. Trust can break down readily along the chain. In the end we are left with a deficit. Of nourishment and connection. Getting food more directly from source is an effort. But the confusion is swapped with confidence. Both body and soul are nourished. Maybe we should be reading the farmer not the labels?!

​Anne Maher