Customers will come back says store owner

By THERESA GARNER

This week's blow to the natural health industry will not deter people from using dietary supplements, says a Hamilton health shop director.

Murray and Margaret Hardy, who began with a single store in Hamilton 17 years ago, now have a chain of 25 Healthy Living stores. Their customer base has developed from "health nuts" to the everyday "health conscious".

"The whole industry has come a long way," said Mr Hardy.

The present recalls would probably have been less of a headline 15 years ago, but supplementary products were now mainstream "and part of people's lives".

Mr Hardy criticised the Australian regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, for its handling of the crisis.

"They had no regard for the industry in general. They put unnecessary concern and alarm into the consumer, and the media have had a responsibility there, too."

His stores were among hundreds of stockists nationwide that pulled products from shelves on Thursday, in some cases pre-empting an official recall.

"There is nothing to suggest that those products we have removed are unsafe.

"However, our customers' interests are our highest priority, so independently, we decided to take them from our shelves and hold them in quarantine until the matter is cleared up," said Mr Hardy.

"This was an isolated incident and certainly we support them dealing to that."

In the past two decades he had seen more people begin to take responsibility for their own health.

"People these days want to live longer and live healthier.

"There is a trend for treating the actual underlying problem through good nutrition and natural remedies rather than a quick fix with a prescription medicine.

"We're pulling in the younger market as well. Teenagers involved with sport might use sports supplements, for instance."

Mr Hardy said the present storm would hit his business and the industry as a whole, but they would ride it out.

"A lot of response we've had is from consumers coming in very concerned, but also extremely supportive."