Eating Organic

While the word ‘organic’ is being thrown around everywhere like a stylish new handbag, we explore what it really means, and why it’s good for you and the world around you.

I recently attended a party at which, when dinner was served, two kinds of rice were laid out: a platter of sparkly white basmati, fluffy as a cloud and, next to it, a less occasion-apt platter of grotty looking brown rice. When I called it ‘brown,’ I was quickly corrected by the hostess –”That’s Himalayan red rice!” She went on to explain how the rice – organically grown in the glacial waters of the Bhutanese Himalayas – is known for its superior taste, health benefits, and high fibre content. No prizes for guessing which platter needed refilling first. Such is the effect of the word ‘organic.’

“It’s funny,” one guest said, relishing the brown – sorry red rice, ‘there was a time you paid to have your rice processed. Now we pay to have our rice unprocessed.’

With the new wave of health consciousness in India, we are seeing the emergence of a new kind of store – the organic store, alongside the gyms and spas. Whether as a trendy option or as a genuine lifestyle change, organic eating is something that increasingly looks like it’s here to stay. However, what you may be surprised to know is that the concept of organic food stores is not new to India; it has merely improved somewhat, with more saleability than ever before. Stores like environmentalist Dr. Vandana Shiva’s ‘Navdanya’ chain have been in action since 1984. Dr. Shiva explains ‘organic’ best when she says, “We have connected the seed to the kitchen, biodiversity to gastronomy.”

So, What is Organic, Exactly?

Though different countries prescribe different standards for what qualifies as ‘organic,’ the term loosely describes a crop that has been cultivated without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, antibiotics, irradiation, growth hormones, chemicals, or genetic modification. Though we treat this as a new concept, food for the better part of human history has always been organic. It was only in the 20th century – with the introduction of the above ‘evils’ to enhance crop growth (both individual plant size and overall yield) – that food became ‘inorganic.’ Most countries today require farmers and sellers to obtain a special certification to prove their food is indeed ‘organic,’ and has been produced in the prescribed fashion. When organic was revived in the mid twentieth century, the attitude was a small town one: ‘Know your farmer, know your food.’ Today, we have larger scale farms producing trustworthy crop.

How Do I Tell if Something is ‘Organic?’

The U.S.A. and Australia are particularly strict about organic food standards, demanding that 95% cultivation ingredients be organic. In India, the best way to know if something is certified organic is to look for one of the following logos:

‘India Organic’
NSOP (National Standards for Organic Production)
NPOP (National Program for Organic Production)
NOCA (Natural Organic Certification Association)
Indocert – Certification of organic agricultural and
livestock products
Internationally, look for the USDA (United States
Department of Agriculture) logo

Does ‘Organic’ Equate to Green?

Yes. Absolutely. Even for those of you who don’t care about your waistline, cholesterol, or digestion, it’s time to start eating organic. Why? Because it is going to significantly help you reduce that carbon footprint. Synthetic pesticides used in inorganic foods are not merely harmful to your health, but also to the health of the air you breathe, the soil you live Dr. Vandana Shiva, creator of Navdanya off, and the water you bathe with. Pesticides don’t just kill insects; they eventually kill animals too, severely unbalancing our fragile eco-system. Eating organic helps sustain a diverse eco-system and produces various environmental benefits.

Organically managed soil suffers less damage and, as a result, is able to retain water better. This eventually makes organic farming more viable in terms of crop yield. What’s more, organic farming uses less electricity, machinery, and energy, and produces less packaging waste.

The one way organic might not equate to green is when food has travelled hundreds of miles to get to you, thereby increasing its – and your – carbon footprint in the process. Find out about an organic farm near you, and cut down on transport/fuel in order to ensure the product is indeed green.

Organic = Responsible

When you eat organically, you also ensure that the farmer who produced your food is being granted a better life. Why? Because chemically enhanced food may brighten the peel of your pear, but it also slowly kills the poor farmer who is producing it. Synthetic pesticides have been known to cause skin diseases, eye infections, respiratory diseases, premature ageing, nausea, headaches, miscarriages, and cancer. Buy organic, and you ensure you are giving a farmer somewhere a healthier life too.

Paying For What You Get

The only downside or general complaint against organic food is that it’s expensive. The higher price is not simply a matter of stores cashing in on a trend. It’s much harder to grow crops without enhancers and, therefore, farmers need to give their crop far more attention and monitoring. The size of an organic farm will almost always be smaller than that of a non-organic one, making the yield much smaller too. In order to cover their costs, organic farmers need to price their products higher.

Where Do I Shop For Organic Foods In My City?

The following stores provide wheat, rice, jowar, bajra, maize, chickpea, greengram, blackgram, chana, groundnut, castor, mustard, sesame, cotton, sugarcane, jaggery, ginger, turmeric, chillies, cumin, tea, coffee, cardamom, fruits, vegetables and leafy vegetables that have been grown organically.

Navdanya Organic Café, 011 41783205, Shop No. 35,
Vasant Arcade, Sector B7, Vasant Kunj
and Stall No. 18, Dilli Haat, opposite INA Market

Dubdengreen, 011 32905310, 4-A Shahpur Jat

Whole Foods India, 011 2682 0701, 47 Capital Trust
House, Community Centre, New Friends Colony

Aarogyam – Farmer’s Initiative for Organic Foods,
022 20590513, 301 Tata Colony Navghar road (Pallavi
CHS), Third Floor, Mulund East

Greenway Organic Produce, 022 23526291, Nikhil
Villa, 19 Carmichael Road, Mumbai

Navdanya, +91 99204 18027, No 10 Mayfair Housing
Society, Oberoi-Raviraj Complex, off Andheri Link
Road, Andheri West

Green Shop 91 9677088622, Shop No 19,
Shollinganallur Panchayat Shopping Complex,
Shollingallanur, Near Infosys

Organic-Foodworld.com, 91 9841645464, Free home
delivery of organic produce

Organic Pasumaiyakam, 91 9626471727, 119 East
Coast Road, Kottivakkam