FROM EVERYTHING ORGANIK CEO’s TABLE

A vivid supporter and follower of the motion “JAAGO GRAHAK JAAGO, many a times I have been pushed by my customers to educate people about questioning and identifying real organic produce being sold in the open market. In the current lockdown period, I gathered a few insights on customer demands after getting their feedback on various aspects of their buying cycles and choices. Many of us must have seen a sudden spurt of companies switching from their mainline business to the field of essential items namely fruits, vegetables and other grocery items. Our digital platforms like facebook, instagram or watsapp, are flooded with fancy posts claiming 100% Organic fruits and vegetables but as a lay man how does one know if it is genuinely organic.  With so many companies claiming to be selling Organic produce, many of our clients’ especially prospective buyers have a few questions in their mind which I shall try and answer through this blog.

1. How do I differentiate between organically grown and 100% organic produce?
   1. Organically grown pertains to methods used only for the crop from the top meaning there will be use of organic manures and seeds but the soil is not tested for the presence of any chemical or pesticide or its residues. In the case of 100% organic, the soil and produce are tested and certified as organic after following the laid down processes.
   2. In organic farming, the farmlands are 3-4 kms away from all sides from any farm or area where there is a possibility of pesticides, insecticides or any form of chemicals being used.
   3. In organic farming ancient seeds are used and not GMO seeds.

2. What are the right questions to ask to know that the produce being sold is actually organic?
   1. Ask people to give you proof of the produce being organic either in the form of an organic certificate or a recent lab test report or else the produce can be questioned for being non-organic.
   2. Ifthe certificate has either ‘PGS’ or the ‘India Organic’ logo and states it’s a scope certificate, you’re good to go.
   3. The certificate should clearly read ‘Scope Certificate’ but if it says ‘Inspection Certificate’ or ‘Registered with PGS’ or any other certifying body then they are not certified organic.
   4. Make sure to check the addendum of the scope certificate which clearly lists the produce that the certificate is for.
   5. If in doubt, especially in the case of people who have been medically advised to have Organic food (eg. cancer patients or survivors), I would strongly recommend to spend some money and get tests done yourself. Some of the testing facilities available in Delhi NCR are :
      1. SGS India Pvt Ltd, IMT Manesar
      2. NCML, Udyog Vihar Phase 5, Gurugram
      3. Shriram Institute of Industrial Research, University Road, Delhi.

1. On the packaged goods front, look for the certificate number on the front or back of the packaging. It usually has a logo and certificate details as below :

3. What is the difference between natural and organic?
4. We might have seen many adverts publicising “Naturally Grown” vegetables or fruits but is Natural also Organic? Unfortunately, natural does not mean organic and comes with no guarantees. “Natural foods” are often assumed to be foods that are minimally processed and contain hormones, antibiotics and artificial flavours whereas Organic is a highly regulated food system.

4. How do I do a litmus test at home if the produce bought is genuinely organic or not?
   1. Let us do a simple test with a regular and an organic tomato. A regular non organic tomato kept outside even in this hot weather would not shrink or go bad whereas the organic tomato would start wrinkling and start going bad in 1-2 days. Same will be the case with capsicum or bottle-gourd (lauki) .
   2. Now for fruits a simple test would be that the non organic are mostly similar size wise but the organic ones are never of the same size, some being big and some small. A non organic fruit especially like mango or melon might have an aftertaste or a medicinal taste to it. So be aware when you pick up your next stock of fruits and vegetables claimed as organic.

5. Why is organic so expensive?
   1. Organic produce is expensive because the supply is limited.Unlike the conventional methods, where the production cost is less, the cost of growing organic produce is much higher.
   2. Production cost for organic produce is higher because of higher labour input and also because farmers don’t produce enough of a single produce to lower the overall cost.

6. What is the organic certification process?
   1. Certification is the process by which the consumer is assured that a product marketed as “organic” is in compliance with production and handling requirements set forth in Ecocert or USDA regulations.
   2. Farmers and Food producers consortiums submit an Organic Farm Plan or an Organic Handling Plan to an accredited certifying agent detailing their growing and handling methods.
   3. On-site inspections are conducted by certifying agents to verify submitted plans.
   4. Methods and materials used in production must meet standards set in the regulations.
   5. Clear documentation of methods and materials must be kept and there must be a proper paper trail tracing a product back to its production site, enabling verification of production methods and materials.

7. What produce is covered under the current organic standards?

• Fruits and Vegetables, including Mushrooms
• Grains
• Legumes
• Nuts and Seeds
• Bakes
• Meats and Poultry

8. Will my immunity system go weak if I consume organic food?
   1. It’s a common question that everyone asks and also assumes that our body immunity system becomes weak by eating organic produce however when you start consuming organic produce it does the following :
      1. It strengthens your internal immune system.
      2. The ability for your body to fight diseases increases and reduces the chances of chronic diseases.

• The constant occurrence of infections caused by various viruses and bacteria disappears.

1. Strengthens the antioxidants in the immunity system.

9. I cut my tomato or muskmelon and there were worms inside so does that mean its non organic?
   1. This means that there is life present on the farm where the produce was grown. When grown with usage of pesticides and other chemicals they kill the life form.

10. Yesterday my bananas and mangoes were semi ripe and overnight they are ripe and some over ripe, why?
    1. Since the entire organic produce is grown without any non organic manure etc the natural ripening starts from the tree and continues naturally even after being plucked hence the situation of overnight ripening or over ripening.
    2. Always try and buy the organic produce in parts of some ready to eat and some semi ripeso that you can consume the same over a period of days.

11. The size of some of my produce was bigger in size does that mean its Hybrid?
    1. The notion of organic produce being smaller in size is correct however in some areas usage of more irrigation water or the tendency of the soil to hold the water for a longer period of time can lead to unusually bigger size for example desi cucumber, tomatoes, kakdi, pumpkin etc.
    2. Another reason is the sweetness in the irrigation water which adds more natural nutrients to the soil resulting in higher growth than normal for the produce.
12. How has Everything Organik made a difference in the Organic space?
    1. Consolidation of land in single growing area to bridge the gap between demand and supply and have a longer availability of single produce.
    2. Reduce the growing wastage percentage by growing on larger parcels of land.
    3. Give a fair price to the growers.
    4. Ensuring longer growing period due to larger land parcels available for sowing and growing.
    5. Improving the quality by ensuring seeds kept for longer duration from 2 crops earlier are used rather than procuring fresh seeds.
    6. We can be called resellers but we are resellers with a difference because we are directly involved right at the sowing and growing level to grading to buying at good prices and selling it at affordable prices.
    7. Because of reducing the bridge between demand and supply, we have managed to retail at the same prices for a very long time.

FOR ANY OTHER QUESTIONS YOU CAN REACH ME ON query@everythingorganik.in or on +91-9999061061