By Dr Elsa Lycias Joel

My visits to Excel Group of Schools are always fulfilling, as I am pampered with fresh greens, vegetables, and fruits from their organic farms in addition to early morning walks along lush green fields. Students actively participate in sowing, nurturing, cultivating, and harvesting crops, experiencing the satisfaction of enjoying what they grow. The produce is sourced to the school canteen and Joseph Alex at culinary department transforms students into flavour maestros. Under his hands-on guidance, they learn to take taste buds on a full-throttle roller-coaster ride of flavors. Nobody is surprised when his students display their knowledge on unhealthy food, healthy habits and magic ingredient combos that heal and nourish.

One of my favorites is Amaranthus, which imparts a rich red hue and delightful flavor to rice. Any surplus produce from the school canteen is made available for sale, much to the delight of the teachers, who happily purchase fresh organic items on their way home. I believe every educational institution should dedicate land to organic farming to teach future generations the importance of healthy living and environmental stewardship. Under the leadership of Dr. Sreekumar Chandrasekharan, Chairman, education has become deeply meaningful. Even a brief interaction with a student reveals their strong awareness of our interconnectedness with the planet. The school’s initiatives including gardens and paddy fields, the adopted Avvai Village, hydroponics and aquaponics systems, hands-on paddy processing from field to table, birdwatching, feeding flocks of parrots and pigeons at dawn, and apiculture demonstrate what is possible when each person is committed towards healthy living. Shaji and Rajasekhar, the two stewards I met, care for the land as though they were playing Farmville and Harvest Town live, every day. It is a model that other schools can emulate with vision and determination. I have always been concerned with motivating everyone to embrace natural ways of producing and consuming food, but witnessing the holistic lifestyle in this campus inspired me, once more, to put my thoughts into writing.

On a related note, many religions use the metaphor of the human body as a temple, sacred space, or dwelling place of the Divine. The wording and theology might differ but it hinges on the understanding that our body deserves purity, discipline and respect.

Partly, the mind also has a role to play. Well, after the arrival of fast food, western supply chains and online food delivery Apps, scenario has changed drastically. There exist people who count on the imaginary pros by consciously making choices. Nothing is shoved down their throats. They are not kept in the dark about the if and buts regarding certain food, the ingredients that go into it and the manner in which they are prepared, processed or preserved. On the other hand, there are people who attempt everything possible to protect their bodies in vain. They go the extra mile, pull all plugs, spend through their nose to eat and live healthy. Still, the sad fact is that those entrusted with creating and selling wholesome food manage to make a mockery of anything, even resources created by nature.

A handful of affluent city dwellers I know are increasingly investing in farmlands with reliable water sources over other types of property, valuing year-round produce above conventional returns. I consider myself lucky to receive generous shares of their harvests including honey, country hen eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, as well meat, poultry, and dairy from animals raised on natural feed.  In this age, when people live in condominiums, they can’t grow their own food, process them like it was done yesteryears, store them in barns and consume them.

A small vegetable patch itself is a luxury. So, they depend on organic farmers, produce and products. The high costs of anything organic is attributed to factors such as lower crop yields, certification fees and intensive labour requirements. Innumerable organic outlets have mushroomed catering to the desire for holistic living that has led to a significant shift. Be it the shift from refined oil to cold pressed oil, from polished grains and cereals to whole ones, packed milk to farm-to-home milk, imported fruits to seasonal native fruits, plastic to glass storage containers, bottled coloured drinks to fresh smoothies and many more I’m yet to know.

Just when I think I’m doing everything possible to honour my body, news pops up that so-called organic milk and dairy products are adulterated with urea and detergents, fruits are sprayed with rat repellents, organic vegetables in some places contain lead levels twenty times above safe limits, oils are unsafe, tea adulteration rackets are thriving, and much more. While citizens trust the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), state food safety departments, BIS, and similar authorities, people are still exposed to life-threatening adulterated food. Why is this happening? What does a Jaivik Bharat label actually guarantee? In my opinion, unless I grow it myself, nothing is truly organic. Helplessly, I consume these products, giving them the benefit of the doubt. There is no logic in FSSAI allowing synthetic food colours, flavours, additives, thickening agents, and preservatives within permitted or regulated limits, because whether an ingredient is “less harmful” or potentially life-threatening depends entirely on the quantity consumed.

In May 2025, the (FSSAI) conducted surprise raids across Lucknow. Almost 36 food samples from 12 major restaurant chains flunked safety tests. KFC (Saharaganj) used reused cooking oil, fries served by McDonald’s (Hazratganj) had unauthorized artificial food colours, sauces in Pizza Hut had non-food-grade  materials , bacteria contaminated mayonnaise at Burger King, Domino’s was caught red handed while repackaging expired products with new labels, artificial flavoring in violation of prescribed limits by Biryani Blues, ice at Barista Coffee Company Limited had bacteria and not surprisingly, substandard oil in snacks sold by Haldiram Snacks Food Pvt. Ltd. Haldiram has long been in the news for controversial episodes, facing multiple quality, safety, and adulteration allegations, particularly related to international exports simply because local standards are effectively equivalent to no standards whatsoever. Yet time and again, it has managed to navigate the market like a pro. Despite facing multiple international controversies, Indian state health regulators, including the then Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Harshdeep Kamble, reported that 20 samples (14 from Nagpur and 6 from Mumbai) of various Haldiram products were ‘safe,’ claiming they conformed to local quality standards. But what does ‘local quality standards’ even mean? Are the lives and health of local consumers considered secondary or not worth a thought at all? Also, dominos would still continue with their trick and many may follow suit.

Nothing like dressing up last year’s leftovers in a tuxedo and serving them as a gourmet meal! A 2024 investigation found that Nestlé’s Cerelac sold in India contains added sugar unlike the one sold in UK and Europe. Do Indian babies need a sweetened start, as if their health matters any less? Or perhaps we just don’t want to give up our proud title of ‘Diabetes Capital of the World’.

Terrorists are those who harm and kill, and the punishment for them is often life imprisonment or death sentence. If Food Business Operators and officials manipulate, tweak regulations or fail to enforce them putting people’s health, and ultimately their lives in jeopardy, what should they be called? What punishment do they truly deserve? Brands like MDH and Everest, staples in our kitchens, were banned in Hong Kong and Singapore in 2024 after being found to contain Ethylene Oxide, a pesticide classified as a Group 1 carcinogen. Shockingly, FSSAI tested 34 samples of MDH and Everest spices and, as of May 2024, and found no traces of Ethylene Oxide or salmonella.  If there were really no carcinogens, were we accidentally serving a side of ‘food terrorism’ to Singapore and Hong Kong?

Instead of complaining endlessly or waiting for perpetrators to be punished, we can take matters into our own hands, at least partially, if not fully. We can shun fast food, boycott quick-service restaurants, advocate freshly cooked meals, say no to anything that comes in a packet or bottle, and continue with our traditional food habits. Cheers to a healthy start to cherish our body as the sacred vessel it is meant to be!

The stories of farmers must resonate in every classroom across India. Traditional culinary practices, along with their benefits compared to food sold by corporations and promoted through quick-service restaurants, should be taught extensively. A safe future becomes possible when these informed students serve as those who regulate and enforce agri-food policies. Any educational institution that includes organic farming as part of its rigorous curriculum should proactively send its students as ambassadors to different parts of their town, city, and country. True change takes root the moment students raise their voices for a “safe future” and a “healthy life” for all who produce and consume food.