PINCHING AND FEELING THE PINCH

Source : 23/08/1992 Sunday Telegraph

(second half of article)

…Any Questions? Audiences would expect to hear, of unemployment, recession and Tory spending cuts? When even Jesus is feeling the pinch, times must be bad. The Goodness Foods branch at Towcester was the first to go, since when we have been driving to Weeden for supplies of their delicious oatmeal bread. Now the Rugby branch has closed.

Goodness Foods is on of several enterprises acquired or started by the Jesus Army ('We fight for you'), a fervent religious community which sprang up in the vicinity about 20 years ago. In search of economic reassurance I rang their headquarters at Heyford Hill Farm. It sounded weirdly business like, with a revivalist hymn ranting away as the hold-music while I waited for my call to be put through. An amiable Mr John Campbell said that he wouldn't pretend that the recession had not affected them, but they still employed 280 people. The wage was admittedly lower than a purely commercial firm, but everyone got the same, whether manager or newest recruit.

What I had notices was the shift of resources within the organisation. The Rugby shop was not lost; it would re-open next month as a branch of the White and Bishop rugged clothing business they also owned. The position was that whole foods had become so popular that all the shops and supermarkets were now selling muesli and organic veg. Many of them, indeed, bought their supplies from Goodness Foods. It was only sensible to develop the wholesale side of the business. Had I seen their warehouse in Daventry?

I drove over next afternoon. It's inspiring, the cathedral of the Goodness business. Under the soaring roof are piled giant sacks of beans and pods and pulses, packs of comfrey leaves, angelica and liquorice. The air is heavy with the aroma of cumin and ginger and turmeric. But what was this little display of garishly labelled items I chanced upon? Cybergan Massive Muscle Builder! Olympian Muscle Fuel!! Joe Weither's Anabolic Mega Packs!!! After the Olympic scandals, body-building doesn't sound a pursuit to commend itself either to Jesus or to His Army, Samson might have approved, though. We could do with him around the village these nights.