Organic, Natural, Local Food

Let’s start with Organic Food

• Simply put, Organic food is food that is grown without chemicals and processed without additives. Absence of chemical additives from germination of the seed to the final processing and packaging of the product renders it healthier than non organic food.
• The popularity of organic food has steadily grown in recent times as people are becoming more aware of the health risks of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, hormones, genetic modifications, medicated feed, antibiotics or chemicals associated with conventional agriculture or food processing.
• By supporting organic food and farming, we'll end up reducing the chemical overload in the air, water, soil and our bodies.

Critics of organic food dispute whether organic food is more nutritious or whether consumers are getting their money's worth. What one needs to realize is that organic food is grown organically; it may or may not contain ‘additional’ nutrition but there is definitely a lower risk of ingesting some residual chemical or hormone. Just because there may be no nutritional or palatable difference, organic food can’t be deemed a waste of time or money. Even if the look, texture or taste of the food may be similar to conventionally grown food, but the inherent goodness of the food is something that no one can deny.


Natural Food

• There is no formal definition of Natural Food; it is basically food to which no color, artificial flavor or synthetic substance has been added, and that meat or poultry is minimally processed and free of artificial ingredients.
• These are not genetically modified either.
• Natural foods may or may not be organic.


Local food

• The ‘eat local’ movement has picked up such steam in the last few years, that ‘locavore’ became the Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year 2007. Locavore is defined as a person whose diet consists only or principally of locally grown or produced food.
• Buying local supports the local economy and helps ensure that open land will remain in agriculture.
• Less transportation cost and the produce can ripen longer naturally, therefore becomes cheaper to the consumer too.
• However, local does not mean that it is either natural or organic. Local food could still be loaded with pesticides or be genetically modified.

So if you want to support local farmers and become a Locavore, this means eating fruits and vegetables that are grown within a reasonable distance – if you stay in Delhi, then watermelons from Bangalore are out! Also you can’t have winter vegetables like cauliflower, peas and carrots in summer 


Genetically Modified Foods (GM Foods)

• GM Foods are foods derived from genetically modified organisms. Genetic Engineering techniques are used to introduce specific changes in the DNA of plants.
• The changes are done using radiations or chemicals and are absolutely against how nature intended food to be. Most common plants and plant products exposed to genetic modifications are soybean, corn, canola and cotton seed.
• GM foods are rendered bad for environment, bad for health and bad for economy.