There was a time when people went long distances to find an organic food store, just to buy a kilo of organic tomatoes. And even then, only a few retail outlets like Brown Tree or Dhanyam had a small quantity of organic produce — but all this is a thing of the past.
Organic products can now be found quite easily in retail supermarket chains like Spencers Daily, Nilgiris, Food Bazaar, Heritage and so on. “People come to shops looking for organic products and the products sell quite well,” said Vijaya Lakshmi, purchase manager of Nilgiris’ Adyar outlet.
So what has pushed Chennai to eat healthy? Better knowledge of the health benefits of eating organic food and a craze for fitness is the top reason. Besides this, quite a few doctors have been prescribing an organic diet for patients with health issues. Cancer patients, diabetics and people who are suffering from blood pressure have been making a beeline for organic rice, millet (which is not easily available in other stores) and cold pressed oils. Ananthoo, founder of reStore, an organic food hub, said, “People are well informed now and understand that food is the major cause for many diseases. So they are slowly shifting towards healthy food habits and organic food is one of the solutions,” he said.
The journey hasn’t been quick though, “Earlier only old people with health complaints or people whose doctors had prescribed organic food would visit the place. But once people see the benefits (health and taste), they do not give it up. Now people have understood that organic food is not only for old and diseased people but a healthy food option for everyone,” said Thendral, who along with her husband Madhusudhanan runs Dhanyam Organic Super Store. Madhusudhanan, a graduate from IIM-A, started this shop three years back, to promote food that is natural and healthy.