Organic foods: fad diet or healthy eating?

Only 40 per cent of the ingredients of organic food items required by Pakistan are being grown in the country, where affluent residents of upscale localities are steadily switching over to organic food.

Meanwhile 60pc of these organic products have to be imported.

The trend towards ‘ecological foods’ accelerated after recent studies have confirmed that the evidence indicates organic food consumption reduces the risk of allergic disease and obesity; and consumers of organic foods now want to have healthier lifestyles overall.

They are now convinced that ‘heavily processed’ foods often include unhealthy levels of added sugar, sodium and fat. These ingredients make the food we eat taste better, but too much of them leads to serious health issues like obesity, heart disease, high-blood pressure and diabetes. Such foods lack nutritional value.

The retailers of organic food say that to meet the growing demands of organic food, there is a need to encourage the farmers for developing organic farms and also to guide them for the purpose. For instance, Saffron cultivation has recently started in different parts of the country. Aloe Vera, sohanjana and olives are also being cultivated. In the same way sandals, which are currently brought from India, can be grown in the country.

According to the retailers of organic items, the size of the market for organic products had doubled during the past couple of years, because people are now using more organically grown crops and products as compared to those having chemical components because of concerns about their health. However, the demand for chemical products in the country is still much higher as compared to organic products, because chemical products are cheaper.

Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) Chairperson Dr Ghulam Mohammed Ali stated that the demand for organic agricultural products was increasing at a faster pace than other commodities. He added that organic food is already preferred by people in other countries.

He also said that there were a number of regions in the country that were ‘suitable’ for organic farming and the practice had already started there. The trend needed to be promoted, the PARC chairperson stressed. He further said there were several types of plants that could be grown at a small scale to help reduce imports and substantially increase the income of the farmers.

When people discuss healthy eating, in fact, they are talking about organic food. Pakistan along with the rest of the world is slowly turning to healthier food and lifestyle choices. This is evident from the fact that a large number of outlets selling organic food and cosmetic items have come up in the past few years and they are earning enough not only to survive but open more branches.

Nevertheless, according to a report published in Chinese newspapers, in Pakistan, organic farming is still in its infancy with a very limited number of registered and fully-established organic farms. Statistics show that certified organic land only accounts for 0.2pc of the total. Meanwhile, as the second largest producer of organic products in Asia, China may offer some partnership in this regard under the purview of CPEC.

However, those involved in the business of organic items in Pakistan say that the cultivation of plants like rose, saffron, sohanjana and aloe vera is also on the rise in the country. This has resulted in ‘considerable’ increase in organic products as these herbs are being used in producing organic cosmetics, medicines and food items, the demand of which is growing. Organic food is defined as fruit and vegetables not grown from genetically-modified seeds and free from pesticides and harmful chemicals. Organic products are also made by using these fruits and vegetables without preservatives and artificial additives.

According to entrepreneurs dealing in organic food and cosmetic items, making cosmetics and food items from herbs, fruits and other plants has grown tremendously. But then locally-prepared herbs have not been growing accordingly, so they still have to import different herbs and other plants.

A substantial amount could be saved by replacing the imports with increased local production as our country has been bestowed with the four seasons, making it suitable for the cultivation of all kinds of fruits, vegetables, herbs and other plants.

Maria Maaz, who sells home-made organic herbal cheese, is of the view that processed cheese is super fattening, especially the hard ones that are high in calories and salt. “As such regular consumption of these locally packed or imported cheese can lead to hypertension and obesity. If you are looking to losing weight, processed cheese might not be the food you would like to consume,” she remarked.

She told Bol News that organic cheese is considered by ‘educated, health-conscious’ individuals as superior in quality, health and taste. Organic cheese contains the calcium and protein of regular cheese plus additional health benefits. Organic cheese contains all the goodness from regular cheese, including the high levels of protein and calcium, she added.

She also said that although she is currently operating from her residence in DHA society, phase V, the response from her friends and acquaintances is very ‘encouraging.’

“Very soon you may see my outlet for organic food coming up in one of the commercial areas of DHA. I was encouraged by the positive feedback from all those who have tried my cheese and have become my regular customers,” she commented.

She is of the view that though very limited number of people have so far switched over to organic food, with more awareness more people will switchover to healthier options, giving rise to the phenomenon of ‘farmers markets’ in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. “These markets can offer locally-grown produce, along with a chance to interact directly with the farmers.”

On the other hand, Maaz argues that organic food is, generally speaking, more expensive than machine-processed tin food because its preparation is more labour-intensive.  “Moreover, the shelf-life of processed food is much more than the organic food.”

Research indicates that education-level and wealth are correlated with organic food purchases.

It is encouraging to note that some lower-income countries have also started producing certified organic crops solely for export to wealthier countries. So there is a hope that certified production of organic food will not be easily available but will also be a bit cheaper, though still not comparable to processed food.

Surprisingly enough, India is the largest producer of organic food in the world, according to the World of Organic Agriculture Report 2018 published in February. With 835,000 certified organic producers, it is home to more than 30pc of the total number of organic producers (around 2.7 million) in the world.

Reportedly, Denmark and Switzerland have a record number of organic food consumers in the world. In short, customers’ enthusiasm for organic products in Pakistan has expanded, because people are becoming more health conscious.