Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I choose Organic Food?

Food made without any chemicals is good for us and also the environment. As an Organic food customer, you choose to avoid chemicals of any kind in your food and also help promote organic farming. The inherent commitment of organic farming to crop rotation, living soil, companion planting, rural enterprise, pure water and sustainable agriculture is, in itself, a critical step toward protecting our environment . Modern large-scale food production methods have made it almost impossible to obtain a really pure and unadulterated product of nature. Chemicals act like a tonic and give plants a sharp uplift, but the effect soon wears off and the soil is left as impoverished as before. Ground without any organic treatment is also devoid of earthworms, which are essential to the health of the soil. Earthworms are the greatest gardeners of all. They eat soil to a vast extent and make about their own weight in the finest fertilizer every day. Their castings are much richer than the actual soil they take in. Chemicals kill earthworms! What you eat builds and maintains your body. Also, supporting organics supports a healthy Earth. Organic food is produced by an ecological system of agricultural management that produces nutritionally superior plants, resistant to pests and disease. Organic farming builds and maintains healthy soil through traditional methods of crop rotation, planting cover crops, releasing beneficial insects, and composting.

Is there a difference in taste?

While taste is hard to quantify, organic foods by and large taste better than chemically grown food because of their pure nature. While the taste difference between organic foods and chemical foods are very stark in the case of vegetables, they are more subtle in case of rice & pulses.

Is Organic food really expensive?

The answer is, it depends. True, organic food is more expensive than conventional food for many reasons—primarily, the yields are on average between 10% and 20% lower than in conventional agriculture and, with some food items such as wheat, rice, etc it may be equal or sometimes even lower. Another reason for the cost difference is the production costs involved. They are higher in organic farming. For example, organic farmers don’t use herbicides so they have to weed out some crops, by hand. Such a labor intensive method contributes to a more expensive product.

What is organic farming?

Organic farming refers to agricultural production systems used to produce food and fiber. Organic farming management relies on developing biological diversity in the field to disrupt habitat for pest organisms, and the purposeful maintenance and replenishment of soil fertility. Organic farmers are not allowed to use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. All kinds of agricultural products are produced organically, including produce, grains, meat, dairy, eggs, fibers such as cotton, flowers, and processed food products. Some of the essential characteristics of organic systems include: design and implementation of an “organic system plan” that describes the practices used in producing crops and livestock products; a detailed recordkeeping system that tracks all products from the field to point of sale; and maintenance of buffer zones to prevent inadvertent contamination by synthetic farm chemicals from adjacent conventional fields.

What does “certified” organic mean?

Certified organic refers to agricultural products that have been grown and processed according to uniform standards, verified by independent state or private organizations. All products sold as “organic” must be certified. Certification includes annual submission of an organic system plan and inspection of farm fields and processing facilities. Inspectors verify that organic practices such as long-term soil management, buffering between organic farms and neighboring conventional farms, and recordkeeping are being followed. Processing inspections include review of the facility’s cleaning and pest control methods, ingredient transportation and storage, and recordkeeping and audit control. Organic foods are minimally processed to maintain the integrity of food without artificial ingredients or preservatives. Certified organic requires the rejection of synthetic agrochemicals, irradiation and genetically engineered foods or ingredients.