F2F
FACE TO FACE Ursula meets: Ursula Arens Writer; Nutrition & Dietetics Ursula has a degree in dietetics, and currently works as a freelance nutrition writer. She has been a columnist on nutrition for more than 30 years.
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Ursula meets amazing people who influence nutrition policies and practices in the UK. DURWIN BANKS Linseed Farmer; West Sussex Owner; The Linseed Farm brand of culinary oils Member; Brighton and Sussex University Food Network
Attending Nutrition Society conferences is the best way to keep up-to-date with research aspects of nutrition science. And to meet lots of interesting nutritionists and dietitians - and biochemists, physiologists, epidemiologists, policy experts - and farmers? Which is how and where I met Durwin Banks (Nutrition Society winter conference, December 2016). Durwin shares the ownership of a linseed farm with his sisters and has become a champion for this product. He produces linseed oil* on site to match mail-order demand, and does much to promote and market this special superfood. “I know that lots of foods are described as ‘superfoods’, but linseed oil really does provide uniquely high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids,” says Durwin. Perhaps because culinary linseed oil is such a specialist food, Durwin has had to become nutritioninterested, beyond just growing the stuff. He left school at a young age, and worked on the responsibilities of supporting his father on the family farm. There were good times and bad times, but days were always long and work was always hard, with dairy, beef, chickens and sheep, along with some arable projects. Linseeds were first grown on the farm as a break-crop, to support soil quality after more nutrient-depleting crops, and were not considered of much value in themselves, beyond being a base ingredient for animal feed and oils for floors and wood.
www.NHDmag.com May 2017 - Issue 124
Durwin tells me that he has had many make-a-million ideas (I feel the eyerolling around the Banks’ dinner table, as the next get-rich plan is hatched). He grew four acres of chamomile flowers and made a still to produce finest distilled oil. But the project would take longer and need more land than planned to become profitable, and the buyer of his still invited him over to show him his hemp oil press. This sparked the idea of culinary linseed oil production. Linseeds are planted in spring and in early autumn; when the fields are full of beautiful pale lilac flowers, the crop is ready for harvesting. Each pod of the plant contains eight to 10 brown or golden seeds (depending on the plant variety). There is a small market for whole seeds, but after cleaning and drying, most seeds are crushed to produce high quality oil for human consumption. The production unit on Durwin’s farm produces about 180 litres daily, although this is made to match demand so that it is always fresh. The bottles are labelled with a press date, with advice to keep refrigerated and to be consumed within two months. Any leftover oils or crushed oil cake is sold to farmers as cattle or equine feed, so there is never any waste. Growing plants is what farmers do and making processed product on-site is the next step in allowing farmers greater income and greater control. But marketing a food with unique nutritional features of linseed oil, is quite the challenge.