It’s World Food Day today. It’s observed to mark the creation of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations on October 16, 1945. It’s an annual reminder of the challenge of hunger that lies ahead of us and the urgent steps we need to take to eradicate it.
The theme of this year’s celebration is ‘Our Actions are our Future’. “The food you choose and the way you consume it affect our health and that of our planet. It has an impact on the way agri-food systems work. So you need to be part of the change,” reads the official FAO website.
Vishal Narayanaswamy understands this vision well. He is the co-founder of Gourmet Garden, an online marketplace for fruits, vegetables and food essentials based out of Bengaluru.
“It is important for both consumers and business owners to be aware of how their work and lifestyle affect them and also the world around them,” he says. He and his partner Arun Balaji are pioneers in the field of hydroponics and ensure their produce is ecologically friendly, by using 90 per cent less land, water and plastic.
He believes the future does not depend on just one kind of farming or business model. “We can’t say that organic produce is the only way ahead or that hydroponics is future-proof. All these aspects need to work together to ensure a stable future. By sticking to only one, a huge chunk of foods will be eliminated, which isn’t ideal,” he explains.
Plastic-free future
Adrish is a zero-waste organic store founded by Akshay Agarwal and Gajendra Choudhary. It offers a plastic-free shopping experience in that it doesn’t sell packaged groceries. Which means, you must bring your own containers to take the produce away. The Mumbai brand launched a store in Bengaluru in 2021.
“This way, you don’t have to buy a full bag of rice if you’re staying alone. You take how much you want,” shares Prachi Agarwal, marketing manager at the company. This not only cuts down the wastage of food but also plastic packaging.
“Thanks to the efforts of our customers, today we are able to prevent over 10,000 units of plastic from going to the landfills every day,” says Akshay.
Bengaluru-based e-grocery store Wildermart has also been reducing plastic usage and recycling as much as possible. “We have eliminated plastic packaging from 50 per cent of our regular grocery basket, which comprises staples, fruits and veggies. We also deliver in carbon emissions-free electric vehicles,” informs Shweta Thakur, CEO.
Sustainable packaging is key to a greener future and startups in the city are working towards it. Take, for instance, alternative dairy brand AltCo that launched recently.
“All our packaging is sustainable and eco-friendly. We will also come up with campaigns to educate our consumers on how they can play a part in recycling and reusing the packaging material for day-to-day purposes, and also reduce the use of plastic wherever possible,” says Basan Patil, founder.
‘Need better supply chain’
According to a UN report, 50% of the world population will face a shortage of water and food by 2050. So what we eat now and how we utilise water now will impact our future.
Switching to plant-based diets is the way forward, says Basan. He is right because animal farming generates 14.5% of all global greenhouse gas emissions.
Shweta agrees. “We are a 100% vegan store and 80% of our sourcing is done locally, which reduces the footprint of our food further,” she adds.
There’s also an urgent need to improve the supply chain to reduce food wastage, believes Vishal.
“Years of research has gone into figuring the best farming practices but the same hasn’t been done to improve the supply chain systems. Even if companies get the best produce done in the most eco-friendly way and they’re not able to preserve it and deliver it to customers correctly, it’s all for nothing at the end of the day,” he explains.
The vegetable mandis of Bengaluru are the best example of where the supply chain falls short, he says. “You see large amounts produce getting wasted here every day, which could’ve instead been a filling meal for someone. This problem of food wastage is what we have to tackle,” he adds.
‘B’luru a big market for green startups’
Bengaluru has a big market for eco-friendly products as it is the most conscious city in the country, says Shweta. “Be it organic, vegan, sustainable — people here are conscious about all of these,” she adds.
Since opening J P Nagar in August, Adrish too has received an overwhelming response from Bengalureans. “People were eager to see such a store in the neighbourhood. Given the good response, we would love to explore other areas in the city,” Akshay tells Metrolife.
While Bengalureans are more informed and quicker to adapt to eco-friendly concepts, the market is price-sensitive compared to other major cities, says Vishal.
“The number of startups in this space is high in the city, so the competition is high,” he explains.