We are happy while interviewing members of Business Mates Delhi. But there are also a select few who make us extremely happy. One of them is Meenakshi Bansal. She always manages to impress us with her knowledge and clarity on matters related to her brand. So here are the questions we posed her.
How do you define organic products today?
As per the textbook definition of organic you have to grow food in perfectly fertiliser and pesticide free environment. This is not possible now. There is so much of fertiliser present in soil already. Chemicals are there in water, they are coated on the seeds. Processing plants have assembly lines which are already contaminated. So no seller or producer can claim to grow pure organic produce.
So in the modern period organic stands for the final product is not treated with chemicals. There are no coatings of any kind on the seeds and pulses. Like for example many fresh fruits and vegetables are contaminated with toxic heavy metals like lead and cadmium because of the environment where they are grown and the packing material. Other example is the presence of Aluminium Phosphide in dry fruits. While storing dry fruits they are eaten by bugs and rodent. To prevent this Aluminium Phosphide is placed in the storage next to the fruits. After mixing with water this chemical releases and extremely powerful gas called phosphine. This chemical is stored along withe dry fruits in the form of pallets. Aluminium Phosphide is highly toxic and harmful to the environment and many countries have banned it including India.
Organic products from reputable sources are free from such contamination during storage, handling, packing and transportation. Also they are not polished using chemicals to make them shine.
Can you tell us about seeds and edible oil
Yes, this is an important point. You should consume oil from seeds which are grown in a radius of 100 kms from where you stay. So for peoples staying in the south, it is coconut oil which is the best option for cooking. So for me staying in Delhi, I suggest my clients to stick to mustard oil and til or sesame oil for winters. Since olives are not grown in India, olive oil is just not good for us.
The next important part is the extraction process. In the good old days we have mini oil mills right inside the shops which extracted oil by the cold press method. These machines used to crush seeds and release oil right in front of you. Last 30 years or so we discarded these machines and adopted refined oil which is the most harmful. But now cold pressed oil is coming right back in. For westerners it has become fashionable to talk about cold press. If it is available, go for cold pressed oil and extract it right in front of you. Cold pressed oils are filtered using a simple gauge.
Is refined oil so dangerous and what about ghee?
When Europe and later America got industrialised, they started mass producing all kinds of items. To sell their products they unleashed a vicious marketing campaign on the markets of the world. India is an important market for all countries. It is today and was the same hundreds of years ago too. Indians fell prey to misinformation campaign about refined oil. It goes though all kinds of chemical processes till finally you do not get much oil left and lots of chemicals.
Our parents and grand parents never knew about health issues like what we are seeing today. In classrooms today half the children are wearing spectacles. That is because of all that adulteration and chemicals in our food. Take another example of Dalda Vanaspati. It is not ghee at all. It just looks like ghee. It is actually vegetable oil hydrogenated to look like ghee. Similarly desi ghee is supposed to be made from grass fed cow ghee only. But desi ghee is virtually impossible to get in Delhi. So doctors and nutritionists do not recommend consumption of ghee of any kind at all.
Your plans for future.
Life has given so much to me, especially my customers who have a major role to play in the commercial success of my brand, Kitchen Savoury. So it is time for me to give back to society. I have started procuring herbal medicines for plies and diabetes and provide them free of cost. It is my humble way of saying thank you.
https://www.facebook.com/kitchenSavourybyMeenakshi
https://www.instagram.com/ksmnutrition/
https://showroom.dotpe.in/kitchensavourybymeenakshibansal
https://businessmatesdelhi.com/kitchen-savoury-by-meenakshi-bansal/
https://businessmatesdelhi.com/some-facts-about-desi-ghee/
A mother of two, Preeti Bhandari is a colloquial writer. She believes in simple living which reflects in her writings. As the Editor of Narisakti, she intends to use her vast experience to propel this platform to a cult status among entrepreneurial networks.
When not writing she is quilling, both with paper and thoughts.
