An interesting bit of news has been doing new rounds for the last two days... With sensational titles ranging from '1/3rd of Capital's organic veggies have pesticide residue' to 'organic vegetables can containers pesticide', these reports are designed to create more panic than provide complete information.

What is hidden in most stories is the fact that out of all the organic stores in the capital, samples from only 1 store were taken... Yet according to the reports, the capital's entire organic produce is now 33% tainted! The owner of the store under the scanner, Ayesha Grewal from The Altitude Store, immediately sent out an apology and explanation email to all her customers (many still support her, and are somewhat pacified by her honesty). Of her 3 vendors for fresh produce, all the tainted produce comes from a single vendor – which is a farmer group. (Incidentally The Altitude Store had stopped sourcing from this vendor a few months ago, due to some other reasons.) But she is at ends to deal with these two government approved agencies - the certifying agency who indeed certified the tainted produce, and the testing agency who discovered the pesticides in the produce. Certifying agencies have procedures in place to ensure that farmers and producers maintain the organic integrity of the produce. But how can a retailer trust a government authorised certifying agency if that produce is later found to contain pesticides?

The fault is largely with the producer/ farmer who for profit has blatantly disregarded rules or standards for organic products, but is also with the certifying agency which failed to ensure that all regulations and procedure were being followed. Retailers also fall in the tap of wanting to cater to all sorts of consumer demand- variety, quality and quantity; and raise the bar with producers. Once a demand has been created, producers want to fulfil it at any cost....add to that the media, who in order to make headlines matter also hype the article without all the details... That's what makes all the difference.

Throwing the baby out with the bath water will not help. Delhi's fresh produce is contaminated with pesticides - that is beyond doubt. Organic is the only way forward for our health, and the health of our soil; that is the truth. But an association representing the interest of chemical manufacturers telling the media that organically grown produce has MORE chemicals than conventionally grown fresh produce, is a little tough to believe.

To all those who believe in organic food & lifestyle; watch what you eat, talk to your suppliers & stores, try and get complete information from reliable sources. There are good and bad people everywhere... Don't judge an industry by a single incident. Your health is more important than sensational news; take care of it.

** Thanks Ayesha Grewal for responding to eSvasa's questions

** Links to the news articles are on:

Mail Online India: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2878397/Organic-v...

Mint: http://www.livemint.com/Politics/xjaapMpHaej0kqwGjk8mIK/RTI-query-reveals-pesticide-residues-in-organic-produce.html​

Business Line: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/agri-biz/onethi...