traditionally harvested sea salt

Down on the kitchen table I found organic Atlantic Sea Salt from Geo Organics. On the back it states it was produced in Portugal and:

The Environment
This salt is raked by hand from coastal sea pans. This harvesting does not involve the use of any vehicles for extraction and therefore minimises the cost to the environment. The sustainability of this resource has been managed for hundred of years and continues to be harvested without the depletion of this natural asset.

Just as well dip-dyeing with Procions never made the big time in Portugal then!

Geo Organics is a brand name of Venture Foods, whose website indicates 250 grams of boxed salt costs 99p (about six times more than the anonymous mini-market salt, but a reasonable price I think. The other one was cheap). It can be bought mail order though due to weight ordering it through the local health food shop might be more practical as well as cheaper - by courier a special journey would be made to my house whereas it might be included in an existing delivery to the local shop. Also buying locally keeps dosh in the local economy.

Their mail order website indicates the salt doesn't have recognised fair trade status or how the salt is imported. Would be nice to know and to find one a bit closer to home .

I also wonder what happens chemically to the salt during dyeing, and whether it is "retrievable" and eventually makes its way back to the sea... that closing of the loop might make its use sustainable, so long as it wasn't being used faster than it can be naturally replaced.

A separate consideration for a future post is the different footprints of recycling cardboard boxes and plastic containers (including this one without a plastics code!).