Farming practices used before the 1900′s are classed as organic. It was only after this that added chemicals such as urea and DDT were brought into farming – previous to this, farmers didn’t have the knowledge and simply put, were happy enough with things as they were; as most of us today would be. After all, home grown food is often the nicest, most tasty food we put on our plates.

For some reason, during the 1960′s and 1970′s the concept of organic food became a separate entity to the ‘normal’ food we were then buying. Consumers had been effectively duped into believing that what they were buying, was food as nature intended, it not appreciating that the chemicals which were added during growth of the ‘normal stuff’ were what actually made the food abnormal in the first place.

The importance of healthy food is unaltered and is extremely beneficial for people of all ages. Health enthusiasts feel the importance of Satvik Bhojan. Going Satvik, is in a sense, going back in time. A time when the cultivated product you ate came from soil replenished with healthy manure and mulch and an Organic food is an attempt to give to the body a food that is wholesome while pleasing to the senses.

Organic foods are those foods that are grown, processed and packaged without using chemicals. Organic cultivation uses organic seeds, organic fertilizers, compost, organic root stimulators, and organic pest control methods.
Some of the advantages of organic food are:

Safer as free from pesticides and chemical additives or preservatives.
Considered to be safest for children and pregnant ladies.
More nutritious as Organic food is rich in minerals, vitamins and fibers.
It Tastes Good
Safe for farmers
Good for nature

Organic food covers a wide range of our daily food needs. It includes food items like cereals, pulses, spices, sugar, salt, cooking medium (oil), ready to eat, ready to cook etc.

`Let healthy food be your medicine rather than medicine be your food!’

Hippocrates-Father of Medicine

The term Organic differs from commonly used terms like Natural, Local, Sustainable, Green etc. as only organic produce is certified by approved certification agencies.

Every farmer, who wants to be an organic producer, first of all registers his farm and production, with some accredited certification agency. Organic food are inspected and certified by these different accredited certification agencies at every step from production to packaging and hence assuring a safe food to customers. Every Nation implements their own National Standards for Organic Products. On the basis of compliance with their National Standards for Organic Production, a trademark, a logo is granted which is displayed on each and every product thus certifying it to be an Organic Product. Here are some of the trademarks to look for on the products you wish to purchase: INDIA-NPOP, India Organic, ECOCERT, USDA Organic, APEDA etc.

Organic foods have been accepted due to their apparent health benefits over chemically grown food as studies and researches have shown that chemicals have a lethal impact on farming and life. The residues of some toxic chemicals in food stuff may lead carcinogenic, mutagenic, neuropathy, nephropathy, reproductive disorders etc.

BDST: 1549 HRS, Dec-14, 2013
Edited by: Sharmina islam, Lifestyle Editor