It seems hard to believe, but another year is nearly behind us, and what a year it’s been – globally the UK voted to leave the EU and America chose a new president; nationally we’ve had our own ups and downs; and locally N1 wholesale meat Western Cape moved to bigger and better premises.

Looking back on the year that was and all the topics we covered, here are a few of our favourite snippets:

• Similar to the saturated fat warnings, the health warnings on salt might be over exaggerated and salt restriction can be quite harmful
• The higher the degree of marbling in meat, the more tender and tastier it is
• The haddock we all grew up eating – and part of the N1 Halaal fish range – is in fact not the real thing, but rather hake which local producers soaked in brine along with a natural colourant and then cold smoked to resemble haddock.
• Approximately one third of the food produced globally for human consumption – around 1.3 billion tonnes – gets lost or wasted; and the food currently lost in Africa alone could feed 300 million people
• Wholesale frozen vegetables, which are nutrient dense and less likely to lead to waste thanks to better portion control, can often form a more wholesome part of sustainable eating than their fresh counterparts
• Gut flora is the forgotten organ and having the right gut bacteria is linked to many health benefits including better digestion, weight loss and a stronger immune system
• The best way to avoid seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in winter is to eat like the Icelanders, who despite having one of the longest and darkest winters, hardly ever suffer from SAD because of their high consumption of fish
• Food eVangelists – those who are informed and actively share their opinions about food in person and online – are a real and growing cohort, generating up to 1.7 billion conversations about food every week
• In 1961 we ate on average 1.35 kilograms of food per day with the largest component being produce; today we eat 1.88 kilograms per day – over half a kilogram more than 50 years ago
• Saturated fat doesn’t cause heart disease and a high protein intake is beneficial for weight loss

And on that note we end our favourite snippet and stat overview of 2016. The N1 team want to take this opportunity to share their thanks for another successful year, and their heart-felt wishes that you and yours may enjoy a safe and blessed Christmas – Happy Holidays from everyone at N1.