Bridging the gap

Farid Wassef is a second generation pharmacist born and raised in the Stouffville, Ontario area. The pharmacy was first opened by Farid’s father in 1974, which Farid undertook management of in 1989. In 2006, Farid felt it appropriate to merge with the local IGA pharmacy team, and has been partnered with them since. Farid tells a tale that is familiar to IHP readers, of an interest in something other than conventional medicine from an early stage of training, his personal interest leading him to seminars hosted by the likes of Wright and Gaby, and culminating in the decision to offer services of integrative medicine very early on in his career. The very unique twist to this story is that Farid is offering these services as a pharmacist, not the designation(s) we are accustomed to as a provider of integrative medicine.

Farid Wassef is a second generation pharmacist who has worked and lived in Stouffville, Ontario for over 40 years. The family pharmacy was owned by Farid’s father Lou in 1974, which Farid took over in 1989 upon graduation. In 1993, Farid opened a patient consultation practice, which involved integrating lifestyle changes, nutrition, and natural health products with pharmaceutical care. In 2006, Farid merged his pharmacy with his colleague’s at Stouffville IDA Pharmacy, where Farid continues to practice integrative medicine. Farid graduated from the prestigious Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in 1989 and quickly undertook the role of management of the family pharmacy. By 1993, Farid had built an office within the pharmacy and was actively seeing patients.

“I was very frustrated by a model that only allowed a couple of minutes to interact with a patient at the pharmacy counter” describes Farid. “That doesn’t provide the opportunity for any sort of counselling whatsoever!” It was surprising to hear this familiar story from a pharmacist! I was personally unaware of how a pharmacist would justify the practice of integrative medicine under the license of a pharmacist… Farid was eager to clarify. “Within the scope of practice of pharmacy, a pharmacist is permitted to counsel on prevention and treatment of disease, counsel on diet, lifestyle, nutritional/ nutraceutical supplements, botanical medicines, and of course pharmaceutical drugs. While pharmacist may not be permitted the act of diagnosis, I found many MD’s in the Stouffville and surrounding area eager to collaborate with an objective and evidence- based person providing good information on natural medicines. Through these collaborations we were able to offer patients a broad array of integrative diagnostic techniques in addition to standard laboratory procedures.”

Farid was not satisfied with his role as pharmacist and practitioner… He was driven to spread the word to other pharmacists, MD’s, and anyone else who would listen as to the power of diet and lifestyle in health promotion, disease prevention, and disease treatment, and eager to educate his fellow pharmacists as to the role they can and should be playing in their patients care. Working with the Institute of Functional Medicine (whom Farid credits with providing most of the training he relies upon as a practitioner of integrative medicine), Farid created a continuing education curriculum for pharmacists to receive training in integrative medicine. He has likewise lectured across North America to predominantly pharmacists and MD’s regarding application of integrative medicine, and methods through which integrative minded pharmacists can successfully collaborate with MD’s in their community. His immense efforts to move the discipline of integrative medicine forward earned him the 2006 award for Canadian Pharmacist of the Year.

While juggling the roles of a pharmacy manager, seeing 80+ patients per week, authoring over 200 articles, CE courses, and books (including Breaking the Age Barrier – Strategies for Optimal Health, Longevity, and Energy published by Penguin in 2003), and his ongoing industry consulting and speaking engagements, yet another intriguing path caught Farid’s eye; politics. The idea of impacting healthcare from a “top down” approach made a lot of sense to him! Farid slowly moulded his career to be able to take on the workload politics would entail; he sold ownership of the pharmacy and merged with the local IDA team, where he maintains an office and his practice to this day… He cut back on time with patients, yet maintains an important practice within the Stouffville IDA pharmacy, and continues to welcome public speaking arrangements, although at a reduced rate than in the past. It was 2009 when Farid first actively participated in a political role, attempting to block proposed cuts to the healthcare system (that subsequently came into effect in 2010). The final straw that brought Farid to action was the interpretation that the $1.2 billion e-health scandal is what necessitated healthcare cuts in the first place!

“I was very frustrated by a model that only allowed a couple of minutes to interact with a patient at the pharmacy counter”

The PC party of Ontario approached Farid in 2010 after witnessing his passion and determination to effect change, and in 2011 he secured his nomination as the PC candidate for the riding of Stouffville, Markham, Richmond Hill, and King townships. He lost the 2011 election to the incumbent Liberal candidate. Farid Wassef has been re-nominated and will stand in the next general election as the PC Candidate of Oak Ridges-Markham for Member of Provincial Parliament. Farid is determined to improve our healthcare system, which he believes should focus more on disease prevention and extending an individual’s functional health span.

It was a special experience to visit the Stouffville IDA where Farid continues to base himself and see patients. The pharmacy runs as any conventional pharmacy can be expected to run, yet adjacent to where the pharmacists operate is a segregated office area where Farid conducts patient visits. In the absence of Farid’s influence over the years, the pharmacy team likely would have little to zero interest in integrative medicine. Yet through years of observation of Farid’s practice, the entire pharmacy team at Stouffville IDA has a unique, welldeveloped, intrigue/ interest in the role of integrative medicine in today’s healthcare system. Also of tremendous interest were the unique offerings of natural health products by the pharmacy. Brands not typically associated with pharmacy were made available for the public, clearly guided by Farid over the years yet managed by the conventionally practicing pharmacists of the facility. Also, and near to my heart, the current owner of the facility is a fan of history of medicine. His pharmacy is lined with paraphernalia and artifacts from generations of pharmacists, including tincture bottles that must be over 100 years old, historical instruments of the profession, and photos of a graduating class of pharmacists from the very early 1900’s.

Apparently the individual who founded the first ever pharmacy in Stouffville is pictured in the photo. IHP is grateful to Farid Wasef and the entire Stouffville IDA team for taking the time to allow us to showcase their efforts to you. Farid may not have the expected credentials of a practitioner of integrative medicine, yet he delivers the service at a level equal to and beyond that of anyone in the field. Like so many professionals IHP has had the privilege of showcasing, the practice of integrative medicine begins, grows, and thrives through one common seed; passion! Passion to help others, to solve mysteries common- place answers simply don’t make sense for, and ultimately to achieve maximal positive impact for people using the least invasive strategy available. Farid has educated thousands of healthcare providers in this area. He has now turned his attention to the political arena, in hopes of bringing further change through legislation, hopeful the clinical aspect of thing resides in good hands. We wish you much success Farid in helping to bring healthcare reform we at IHP agree is desperately required.

Remembering A Health Food Pioneer

Willie Pelzer 

1934-2013

By Lio Perron

The life story of the man affectionately known as the “Granola King” is a compelling one.  Born in a German family from Lemberg, Poland, Withold Pelzer sailed across the Atlantic to chart a new life in North America after the end of the Second World War. Unfazed by his lack of post-secondary education, his rudimentary English and the backlash against German immigrants at the time, the hard-working 17-year-old found work in the sugar beet fields of Lethbridge, Alberta. A few years later, he moved to Saskatchewan to work on a grain farm. In 1961, after a decade in Western Canada, Pelzer and his young bride moved to Ontario to find new opportunities.

Five decades later, through sheer willpower, Pelzer went on to invent granola in his kitchen. He built a sizable fortune and had an unprecedented impact on Canada’s natural food industry with a string of innovative food products. Today, Sunny Crunch Foods Ltd. has a staff of 100 employees producing an impressive range of products, including granola cereal, nutrition bars, meal replacement bars, sports nutrition bars, energy bars, snack bars, protein powders and herbal capsules. The company’s products are sold in Canada and around the world under different labels.  

“It all goes back to grandma’s recipe. She would take oats, sweeten them with honey and served them warm for dessert. Kids just loved it. No artificial preservatives, just whole grain goodness and organic honey,” explains his son Richard Pelzer who has succeeded his father as company president.

The self-made millionaire gambled his life on a simple family recipe in an industry that was struggling to gain acceptance and recognition in the late 1960s. On Sunny Crunch’s website, Pelzer is quoted as saying “Porridge was one of the only foods I knew of that used rolled oats and I wanted to come up with a new kind of food that would make use of rolled oats and other healthy grains in an attractive new way.”

However, the road to riches was a rocky one. “Dominion was the dominant chain back then. He would visit the personal buyer of each store and try to convince them to sell his granola cereal, but the answer was always the same. This is bird seeds, this is not a product for consumers. They’ll never eat this. No thanks, please go away,” says Richard Pelzer.

The Birth of Canada’s Natural Health Product Industry

Despite repeated setbacks, Willie Pelzer took it all in stride. The dream within his heart was too intense for him to quit in the face of temporary defeat. In 1964, Pelzer, Bill Cooper, Walt Zimmerman, Al Smith, Lionel Pasen and other like-minded health food pioneers banded together to create the Canadian Health Food Association. 

“Willie’s talent was getting rid of all the clutter. He saw the basic problem. Very often we would all get lost in the minutiae that doesn’t count. He got rid of all that and got down to the bare facts. It was a pleasure working with him,” explains industry veteran Lionel Pasen, founder of the Toronto-based company, Natural Products Consulting Corp.

The CHFA now represents over 1,000 businesses across Canada. It’s the country’s largest trade association dedicated to natural health and organic products. Members include manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and importers of natural and organic products. These can include foods, vitamin and mineral supplements, herbal products, homeopathics, sports nutrition products, and health and beauty aids.

Since its creation, the CHFA has played a pivotal role in educating the public about its members’ products. It has also successfully lobbied governments to help grow and protect the industry. Today the natural health product industry is worth $3 billion annually to the Canadian economy. However, in the early days the CHFA remained wary of unsolicited government interference. For example, in the 1970s the Ontario government toyed with the idea of restricting the sale of vitamins to pharmacies alone. It’s a move both Pasen and Pelzer were determined to prevent.

“We met with Dr Allan Dyer who was a senior civil servant representing the Ontario government. Willie and I walked out of the meeting saying ‘Dr. Dyer, you’ll request the next meeting with us’. We went down to a restaurant and I said to Willie, what are we going to do?” says Pasen with a chuckle. “We started a letter campaign. Fortunately, there was a postal strike at the time. By the time the strike was over we had collected 40,000 signatures and the government backed off.” 

Willie Pelzer’s life was intricately linked to the Canadian Health Food Association. He presided over the CHFA from 1969 to 1971, and again from 1991 to 1997. “Willie Pelzer assumed the presidency of the CHFA for a second time at a critical juncture in its history. His energy and personal generosity provided a stable financial platform that allowed the Association to grow into the dynamic organization it is today,” says William Gall, past CHFA Board Chair.

By the early 1990s, the industry wanted its own regulation. With the support of health food stores, they launched another letter campaign. The CHFA lobbied federal Health Minister Allan Rock, whose wife was a natural health aficionado. The government accepted all 53 recommendations put forward by the industry and created a new directorate at Health Canada to regulate the industry.

A Recipe for Success

While Pelzer’s commitment to the CHFA was never in doubt, making granola a mainstream food item remained his overriding priority. In the late 1960s and early 1970s health food stores were few and far between. In order to reach the largest number of customers, Pelzer and his wife set their sights on big retailers. 

“We would make stands in grocery stores and shopping malls and handout granola for people to taste and tell them where they can buy it,” explains his wife, Joy Pelzer. These forays into large supermarkets fueled his desire to achieve success despite his inability to capture the imagination of big grocery chain buyers.

Not one to take no for an answer, Pelzer kept going back to meet the same buyers over and over again. 

“One day, he got to the last buyer and of course he said ‘no’ because that’s what they all said,” explains Richard. “As he was walking out of the office, for whatever reason, he got an inspiration and turned around. For the next 20 minutes, he preached a sermon to the buyer. He doesn’t know where it came from, he can’t recall what he said. For 20 minutes, he pointed his finger at the buyer telling him he’s making a mistake. The buyer said, Willie I want you to do a demonstration at my store for one weekend and we’ll take it from there.”

It was a daunting task. If Pelzer had failed to capture people’s imagination, it likely would have been a fatal blow to his dream. Just like a “clutch” athlete, Pelzer had an uncanny ability to perform above expectations in high-pressure situations. When the time came, he loaded the front seat, the back seat and the trunk of his car and drove to the supermarket to set up a booth in the cereal aisle. By the end of the weekend he had sold out. 

In one weekend, Pelzer had won over customers. The growing popularity of granola wasn’t lost on Dominion buyers. One by one, they started ordering his granola cereal in much larger quantities.

Despite their early success, he and Joy kept reinvesting every penny back into the business when they first launched Sunny Crunch Foods Ltd. “We worked day and night,” says Joy. “We would start at eight in the morning and go until two in the morning when we first opened our little factory. We were baking and packaging for delivery the next day. We took jobs cleaning offices to make extra money. We had to do this for about ten years.”

They eventually found success, but it didn’t change Pelzer, according to those closest to him. He remained generous towards the CHFA and gregarious toward his employees. 

“When you make a mistake, bosses usually get upset and it might be cause for dismissal,” says Vasco Rego, who has been plant manager at Sunny Crunch Foods Ltd for the past 36 years. “He saw mistakes as a positive because he felt people usually learn from them.” 

Through his street-smarts, resourcefulness, stubbornness and hard work, Pelzer created a health food giant out of nothing. At the time of his death, he was at the top of the food chain as one of the richest and most successful entrepreneurs in Canada’s health food industry. 

Willie Pelzer passed away at the Mackenzie Health hospital in Richmond Hill on Friday, May 17 with his family at his side. He was 79 years old. IHR