Rare are the occasions where consumers get together with farmers, retailers and other stakeholders to discuss and debate the woes of the industry and how to navigate through all of them together, as a team.
Thanks to Create Trust, Bio Basics got an opportunity to co-host a workshop at TNAU last week on organic food.
Two panel discussions on either side of an organic lunch put together by a farmer/retailer/wholesaler.
My contribution? Highlighting four major trends in the food industry that all of us need to be aware about.
1. Organic food industry in India is doubling every two years. CAGR of 36% odd. More folks are turning to organic. Seeking healthy foods.
2. The epidemic of lifestyle diseases is more rampant than COVID ever was. No one is spared. Young or old, rural or urban, rich or poor. We are the diabetes capital of the world, or close. Gone are the days where diabetes was a rich man’s disease. Today, farmers who are into hard physical labour are afflicted with diabetes. Young adults going diabetic at 30. The link to chemicals in food has been proven scientifically. Infertility among young adults. PCOS among women. Autism among children. Cancer cutting across ages. The list goes on.
3. The Kitchen is dying. Cooking at home is passe, unless you are hot on Insta. The nuclear family is clear about NOT cooking. Food delivery apps have replaced the Kitchen in the house. Instead of the guy from the local kirana shop (20 years ago) standing by waiting for your order, it is now the Swiggy/Zomato guy lurking around! So RTE (ready to eat) and RTH (ready to heat) are the favourites. Frozen microwavable meals. Healthy snacks (bars, powders) have taken over real food.
4. Emergence of Lab-grown food to render obsolete good old land-grown food. Singapore is leading the way. Others are waiting to follow. For now, it is only to “Prevent Animal Cruelty” by growing meat from stem cells, so no animal is harmed. Fortified rice (replacing real rice) is here in India already. And the jump replacing the real thing with the manufactured thing is not too far.
Four distinct trends depicting a profound battle of ideas.
A battle between Nature and Hi-Tech.
Between time-tested traditions and commercially-driven new-fangled fads.
Between holistic value and price-led reductionism.
Between consciousness and mindless convenience.
Between common sense and pseudo-science.
Between wisdom and blind intelligence.
Between being part of the solution and part of the problem.
Bio Basics has picked its side. Our allies are those of you who care. Care for the health of your family, the well-being of farmers and the environment. Those of you, who have arrived! Arrived at that station of life financially, physically, intellectually, socially and spiritually, where you can see that food, farmers, health and environment are inextricably linked to your own consciousness.
Which side are you on?
