In today’s age where information is available quite literally at the tip of our fingertips, the adverse effects of information overload is definitely concerning. This is especially true when it comes to food. Open social media and you have a deluge of content about ingredients, nutrition, food safety, food labels, personal opinions about food and the like. This information is often conflicting leaving the audience confused and stressed. For example, while some theories advise you to increase your intake of protein others caution you about the ill effects excess protein can cause in your body, while some claim high fat keto diets are the best others recommend low fat plant-based diets. Decoding labels like organic, pesticide free, non-GMO etc. has become a task in itself. This decision fatigue often leads to poor food and nutrition choices. More importantly, somewhere along the line, the joy of eating and enjoying food has been lost.
Decoding Myths
With an aim to build a community that takes food seriously without taking the joy out of eating, Pure & Sure has introduced an independent platform this month titled Eat! Without Worry. For the uninitiated, Pure and Sure is a leading brand in the organic food sector and has been a pioneer since 1999 in developing foods that are clean, healthy, organic and sustainable. “We work with a network of close to 15000 farmers and farmer groups all over India and we train them completely in the know how of organic farming. This includes preparation of organic fertilizers, preparing the soil, countering pest attacks, crop diversification etc” says Surya Shastry, Founder, Pure & Sure. Their wide range of products include cold pressed oils and ghee, healthy snacks, millets, spices, masalas, pastes, and more.
Given the fast-paced world we live in, there is never a dearth of things we need to worry about. Shastry firmly believes that food should not be one of them. “For the consumer everything starts with a worry which makes them switch to foods that are organic and chemical free. Today there is a lot of negativity around food which should not be the case. Food should be simple, relished and savoured like how we did in the past. Eat! Without worry is an initiative started by us with the objective of building positive conversations around food, busting stereotypes and make people not only confident but also enjoy food” adds Shastry.
The platform is lucid and easy to use. Here you can find facts about ingredients, information about food groups, seasonal eating guides and the like. Further food terminology is explained in simpler terms, there is clarity on what it means when food is labelled ‘organic’, stories from farmers and also food case studies from around the world. For example, did you know that honey never really gets spoilt or the fact that adding some pumpkin seeds in your diet after 50 is one of the best sources of protein for vegetarians. The platform also has delectable yet nutritious recipes apart from practical tips for eating clean and healthy. For example, did you know that you can use ingredients like blue pea flower, sesame seeds and blueberries to naturally colour your food? This way you can avoid harmful synthetic colours that are chemical based.
Worry Free Tour
Pure and Sure has also designed a worry-free tour of their 4-acre factory located in Magadi main road in Bangalore which demonstrates how food is grown and processed sans chemicals and preservatives. The one lakh square feet facility has three processing units and the entire factory is certified organic. All processes followed are as per international organic standards. The structured tour takes visitors through the entire process of how the produce from the farms is cleaned, sorted, processed, stored and packed. All the produce is subject to testing to ensure that they are devoid of chemicals of any kind. This testing happens both at the farm as well as the factory. “We store all the produce using cold storage where the materials are stored at a temperature of 2–6 degree Celsius. We also use the blast freezing method where the produce is kept at -21 degree Celsius for 2-3 days to eliminate any small traces of impurities like bugs, larvae etc. After this the produce is stored in cold storage” mentions Shastry.
Processing is entirely automatic with minimal human intervention. Pure and Sure also uses a patented technology called Steam Sterilization which prevents food going bad after processing. All these processes eliminate the need for fumigation and usage of chemicals of any kind during processing. This gives visitors perspective on why organic is marginally expensive as investment in technology, machinery, infrastructure and operations definitely comes at a steep cost. Visitors get a chance to understand the entire process of production at close quarters and comprehend what makes a food product safe for consumption. Pure and Sure also exports a large range of products like ready to eat products, mock meat etc to over 20 countries including the US and European countries.
Visitors end their tour with a healthy vegetarian meal made using ingredients manufactured in house.
