Organic Food Trends

chillibreeze writer — Geeta N

Have you been gulping down numerous glasses of fruit juices and sinking your teeth into fresh salads all day long to keep yourself in shape? Well, chances are you’re gorging on chemicals. Shocked?

Healthy eating is the buzzword these days. From regular exercises, to cutting down on junk food to eating raw fruits and vegetables, if you’re truly health conscious you’d go to any extent to eat right.

But what if you were told that those luscious apples you just bought from the supermarket were ripened artificially with the help of calcium carbide and ethylene, a plant hormone that helps enhance the color of the fruit?

Usage of chemicals to enhance the so-called ‘quality’ of your foodstuff is common these days. With the demand for freshly-picked, healthy-looking produce on the rise, majority of farmers have little choice but resort to spraying harmful chemicals on their crops leaving you, the consumer, with health issues in the long run.

Peaches, apples, strawberries, cherries, potatoes, spinach, carrots, green beans, and lettuce (to name just a few) are said to be the most contaminated. Medical experts state that regular consumption of such food may lead to birth defects, nerve damage, cancer and the like.

So how about treating yourself to sumptuous food, totally untouched by chemicals all through its life – right from the time it’s sown to the time it lands on your doorstep? In other words, how about going organic?

Organic foods are chemical-free, environment-friendly food products produced without the help of synthetic chemicals, fertilizers, manure or dangerous pesticides. These are said to be a healthier option since they’re produced with natural fertilizers or manure.

Thanks to the absence of hormones, antibiotics or chemicals, be it in the soil or in the water used, these can help keep illnesses at bay, according to organic farming supporters. Talk of nutrition and organic products are claimed to be far superior. These possess a good amount of natural antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, opine advocates of organic farming.

Organic farming in the real sense of the term is not new. It actually began around a decade ago but has only in recent times gathered momentum. More and more people across the world are realizing the inherent benefits organic foods offer.

There are organic varieties of lots of food items such as brown rice, pulses, soya, organic spices, and tofu, fruits such as sweet lime, banana, and juices, and several vegetables including eggplant, potatoes, bell peppers, and so on.

But sadly, all these and more may not be easily available in every locality or supermarket. Reason, the market for these is not as huge to start off with. Walk into a few supermarkets across the city and you’ll see that many do not stock organic products at all while still others have only a few organic product packs on their shelves. Reason – awareness levels of organic products are still low. And yes, the most important factor - the price is quite high.

Organic products are sold at a premium even – 50% to 100% higher than normal products, which means only those with high disposable income will be able to afford these. As a result, as of now, organic food products cater to a niche market. Nevertheless, the demand for these is definitely increasing with more and more players in the organized sector looking at a share of the estimated Rs. 25 crore market.

The Future Group, ITC, Reliance and Godrej Agrovet are some of the organized players in addition to the several small enterprises and local entrepreneurs trying their best to gain a foothold and make a mark locally.

But the nagging question on most minds is - how can you be sure that the expensive organic product you’ve just bought is genuinely organic? A pertinent question for, certification agencies are few – around 15 only. Also certification is essential only if you’re considering exporting your products. For the local market, certification is not mandatory.

IMO Control, FKAL International, Ecocert International, Indocert are some of the certifying agencies who can tell whether your products are actually organic. But that’s not all. The definition of organic varies. And being a relatively new area altogether, a proper regulatory mechanism too is yet to see the light of day.

Editor's note: Most articles submitted to Chillibreeze go through a selection process. Only 30 percent of submitted articles are accepted for publication on the Chillibreeze.com featured article list. All accepted articles are edited and proofread for glaring errors of punctuation and grammar. Sentence structure is changed in certain cases and sometimes, entire sections are rewritten. If you notice any errors that have slipped through the cracks, do let us know! (Email us at info at chillibreeze dot com).

Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in March, 2011. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

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Geeta writes for chillibreeze.

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