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Sunday , December 16, 2007 at 0411 hrs Is it a marketing gimmick or is it a back-to-the-roots movement that’s seeing urban India increasingly showing a penchant for organic food? As more and more people make a beeline for the shelves stocking organic food products, whether in boutique grocery shops or the large-format department stores, health considerations seem to be paramount in the minds of consumers. Rashi Sharma, a housewife living in Delhi’s Golf Links regularly picks up food from the Fabindia store in nearby Khan Market. She says: “Given that organic food is grown without the use of any fertilisers or pesticides, it seems a natural, healthier option. I have also picked up herbal tea and organic spices from Delhi Haat, and keep a lookout for more options within the organic range.”

Unlike “regular food”, those with an “organic” tag sell on the premise that it is free of any artificial enhancer — be it chemical fertilisers, pesticides, growth hormones, genetic modifications or synthetic additives. The benefits seem obvious when you hear horror stories of what pesticide residues and contaminants can do. “The damages to the endocrine and reproductive systems in the long-term due to ingestion or exposure to harmful chemicals have been proved in studies conducted among animals. Given the epidemiological link between congenital defects and rural populations exposed to high levels of pesticides, organic foods definitely score better,” points out Dr SK Wangnoo, senior endocrinologist, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi. With infant reproductive organs still forming and the brain developing through age 12, and with young livers and immune systems less able to rid bodies of contaminants, going organic is more important for children and pregnant or breast-feeding women.

Growing organic foods however isn’t that easy. Farmers have to ensure that the entire production chain is free of any chemical contamination. “That means even animals whose manure may be used in the field should be eating organic food. A farm cannot grow both organic and inorganic food at the same time. One cannot go by conventional wisdom and assume that anything which is sold under the herbal label or tagged chemical-free is organic produce,” cautions Dr KL Chadha, agricultural scientist and president of the Horticultural Society of India.

Agrees Mayaji Govardhan, director at Navdanya, “We have trained 2,00,000 farmers in organic production and help market their crops in semi-finished or processed form. These crops are grown on organic farms certified to be organic by Switzerland-based SGS, the certification governing body for organic food.” The SGS Organic Production Standard is a worldwide programme for organic production and processing.

Several recent studies have considered the benefits of eating organic food. Quite a few have concentrated on finding whether organic foods can lower the incidence of certain diseases. A recent study finds that organically grown tomatoes have higher levels of flavonoids, which may protect against cardiovascular disease. Writing in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, researchers from the University of California, Davis, said the level of one flavonoid in the organic tomatoes was almost twice as high as that in conventionally grown tomatoes. Organic farms, the researchers said, gradually improve the soil by letting organic matter accumulate through the use of cover crops, compost and manure. “Preliminary data indicate that organic food is not inferior to conventionally-grown food and could provide more anti-oxidants. However, long-term studies need to be undertaken to prove without doubt that organic food is nutritionally better,” says Dr Shyam Aggarwal, senior consultant in oncology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi.

Explains Dr Archana Juneja, consultant endocrinologist, Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai, “Exposure to harmful chemicals can affect the reproductive hormones that manifest in symptoms like depression, nausea, infertility, etc. However, no study has proved that there is a direct link between consumption of conventional food and such health problems. More conclusive studies need to be undertaken before they can form the basis for switching over to organic food.”

While various findings have been reported, there is no study that has favoured organic food outright. This year a study funded by the European Union and conducted by researchers from Newcastle University has claimed that milk from herds of cattle raised in an “organic” environment contained 90% higher levels of antioxidants (are thought to prevent cancer and heart diseases) than the milk from cattle raised otherwise. It also said that organic food contained more beneficial minerals such as iron and zinc. Findings from the project, which is the first to investigate the physiology of produce from the different farming techniques, will be peer reviewed and published over the next 12 months. “Organically grown food tends to have higher concentration of micro-nutrients. However, one has to remember that conventionally grown food, using pesticides or artificial ripeners within the permissible limits are safe for the general population. So there is yet no reason to discard traditional food in favour of its organic counterpart,” adds Dr Juneja.

Agrees Dr Avinash Deo, consultant oncologist, Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai, “Pesticides have been implicated in various forms of lymphomas. Although the evidences are indirect, it would be likely that oragnic produce free of any chemicals would be safer.”