Do You Really Need Organic Food?
16 Jan 2026 7:00 AM IST
Walk into most supermarkets today and you’ll see the organic label everywhere. Organic coconut oil. Organic rice. Organic yellow daal.
Still, many Indian consumers don’t fully trust the label. Others worry about their health, but say organic food is simply too expensive.
Yet, the organic food market in India is growing fast. IMARC valued it at around $1.9 billion in 2024 and said it could cross $10 billion by 2033.
So what exactly is organic food? And do you really need it?
Check out the latest episode of The Signal Brief.
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NOTE: A machine transcribed this episode. A human has looked at this text but there might still be errors. Please refer to the audio above, if you need to clarify something. If you want to give us feedback, please write to us at feedback@thecore.in.
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TRANSCRIPT
Kudrat (Host): I’m standing inside a grocery-cum-convenience store in South Delhi.
Right as I walked in, I saw a shelf stacked with cooking oils. There’s groundnut oil, vegetable oil, olive oil, and coconut oil.
For the olive and coconut oils, there are two versions placed side by side.
There’s a regular version. And then, there’s an organic version. The organic ones cost noticeably more.
Megha: Though I would want to buy, like, vegetables specifically, which are organic. But, um, I have this perception that whatever I will get, maybe in Delhi, where I'm living, um, it would not be entirely organic. And there would be maybe, um, how do I put it? Like, they are misrepresenting their products as organic.
Kudrat (Host): That was Megha, a 29-year-old government consultant working in Delhi.
Like other consumers I spoke to, she doesn’t fully understand or trust the organic label on products.
This confusion comes at a time when, across the world, demand for organic food is rising.
In India, the organic food market remains small compared to conventional foods. But, it’s growing quickly. Industry estimates valued the organic food market at around $1.9 billion in 2024. Consulting firm IMARC Group projects it could grow to over $10 billion by 2033.
This growth has pulled in both niche brands and bigger players. Premium grocery chain Nature’s Basket stocks certified organic produce and staples. Brands like Organic Tattva and Organic India sell organic grains, pulses, and packaged foods. Even delivery platforms such as Swiggy Instamart have partnered with farmer-led brands to offer organic options in cities.
Kudrat (Host): My name is Kudrat Wadhwa and you’re listening to The Signal Brief. We don’t do hot takes. Instead, we bring you deep dives into the how and why of consumer trends.
Today, we’re asking a simple but loaded question. What exactly is organic food, and is it worth paying more for?
Kudrat (Host): Organic farming, in broad terms, is farming that avoids synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilisers. Instead, farmers rely on compost and biological inputs.
Its supporters argue that modern farming, the kind that uses chemical-based fertilizers and pesticides, has degraded soil. In turn, that reduces food quality, and harms human health.
One such proponent of organic farming is Kamaljeet Hayer, founder of Sohangarh Natural Farms in Rattewala, Punjab.
Before becoming a farmer, Kamaljeet worked as an advocate for about 15 years. After losing his father at 53 and later his grandfather, he began questioning why more people were falling ill now, versus before.
Kamaljeet: तो फूड में न्यूट्रिशन का जो हालात है, जो सिचुएशन है वो बहुत वर्स्ट है। वो अकेले पंजाब में नहीं, इंडिया में नहीं पूरे प्लेट पे यही हाल है। तो उसका बेसिकली जो मैं मानता हूँ बड़ा कारण वह यह रहा कि हमारा बहुत गहरा रिश्ता है हमारा हमारी सेहत का हमारी फूड से और हमारे फूड का गहरा रिश्ता है हमारी खेती से और खेती का गहरा रिश्ता है हमारी मिट्टी से। सो मिट्टी का बहुत गहरा संबंध है हमारी सेहत से, हमारी तंदुरुस्ती से।
Kudrat (Host): For Kamaljeet, the connection is clear. Soil health affects food. Food affects human health.
Today, his farm follows what he calls a circular model. He focuses on putting back the nutrients he extracts from the soil.
The Signal Brief also spoke to Dr Dharini Krishnan, a dietician, and Dr Sultan Ismail, a soil ecologist. Together, they run the Eco Science Research Foundation, which studies soil health and organic farming.
They argue that chemical-heavy farming degrades leaves behind pesticide residue, harmful to health.
Dr. Dharini: Basically, um, the more chemicals you use, it is, uh, hazardous to health itself.
Dr. Sultan: Any chemical, uh, leaves behind residues, and every chemical has a half-life behind it. So in, uh, very developed countries, care is taken as to when the last phase should be there.
That means that the half-life is over before the product comes into the market. Uh, but we have seen with our own eyes, and people are also aware that some farm, I, I wouldn't generalise the whole thing. Concepts have the habit of even dipping the vegetables after harvesting, before going to the market, so that they have a longer shelf life, et cetera, et cetera, because they have that sort of a thinking.
Kudrat (Host): Public health researchers have documented high pesticide use in parts of Punjab and linked occupational exposure among farmers to health risks. There’s even a whole region in the state that people call the ‘cancer belt’. These findings shape public concern around chemicals in food.
Many people, therefore, believe that by growing and eating organic or natural food, they protect both their bodies and the environment.
Kudrat (Host): But, how do you go about procuring organic food? In India, farmers who want to sell organic food can choose from multiple systems, each designed for a different market.
The most rigorous is the National Programme for Organic Production, or NPOP. It involves third-party inspections, extensive paperwork, and is mandatory for exports. Because it’s expensive, it’s mostly used by exporters and large farms.
Then there is PGS-India, a participatory system where farmers certify each other through peer review. It is cheaper and more accessible, but valid only for domestic markets and less familiar to urban consumers.
And finally, there’s a grey zone. Labels like “natural” or “chemical-free” that sound reassuring but don’t always come with verification.
The result is a fragmented system. Organic food often feels safer to consumers, but remains hard to verify.
Dr Sultan Ismail says this hurts farmers too.
Dr. Sultan: And, uh, today, if a farmer says that I have not added anything into it, and it's people ask whether it has been certified. Now, this certification business has actually created more problems for the farmer than anything else. You go for certification. There are several types of certification. People believe in international certification, which is very expensive, and a small farmer can never afford to do it.
So that's sometimes questions. But, uh, if really a person of organic farming or a consumer is interested, then you can directly associate with the genuine farmer and buy the product because, uh, that guarantees personal relationships.
Kudrat (Host): His suggestion? Build direct relationships with farmers.
Kamaljeet went one step further.
Kamaljeet: उसके साथ मैं एडिशन करूंगा कि आपको कोशिश करनी चाहिए कि अपना फूड खुद ग्रो करिए। आपको फूड बैंक बनाना चाहिए अपना। आपके पास जमीन नहीं है, लैंड नहीं भी है तो आप अपनी छत पे टेरेस गार्डनिंग कीजिए। तो गमलों में उगाइए अपना फूड खुद ग्रो कीजिए।
Kudrat (Host): So, if consumers want to ensure their food is organic, experts suggest that consumers either connect directly with farmers or grow their own food.
When we asked Megha if she’d do that, this is how she responded:
Megha: I can't do it in Delhi. Mm-hmm. Even though I would want my, like, all my vegetables and fruits to be directly sourced from a farm.
Uh, but I, I don't know how that would work in Delhi, e, even if there are some companies saying that they do that. But, uh, like, first of all, I'm not aware of a lot of such companies. Second, I'm not looking out for those because, um, by first instinct, I am, like, not convinced if I will get a good product in a city like Delhi.
Kudrat (Host): Megha wants safer food. She wants to trust where it comes from. But she does not feel she has the time or information to properly source it.
This gap between intention and action is common in consumer behaviour, especially when the benefits feel distant or uncertain.
Moreover, organic food tends to be more expensive. That’s because producers have to ensure there’s no chemical usage across the value chain. Here’s Aditya Maruvada, a brand manager at Safe Harvest, which sells pesticide free food.
Aditya: So many people ask us, like, “Hey, why is your, uh, dial, let's say, 25%, 30% more expensive?” Right? The reason, uh, is that we have had to create an entire value chain. So you have to, um, let's say, harvest the produce separately.
You have to store the produce separately. Uh, you have to mill the produce separately. And, you know, we are a small company. So when you go to a mill who does, let's say, you know, uh, enormous amounts of processing per day, you will have to, uh, then, uh, you know, clean the mill, you know, using bleed runs. So what I mean to say is that the beginning and end of inputs is not just restricted to farms. In a conventional supply chain, it extends far beyond farms.
Kudrat (Host): So, organic food is more expensive, which is justified. But that also prevents consumers from buying it.
Then there is the science.
I spoke to Sahil, a project technical officer at the Indian Council of Medical Research.
Sahil: One thing I would like to clear is, see, uh, there is not a lot of difference between, uh, a nutritional composition of a conventional food or an organic food. It's not like, uh, the difference is not very, very huge. Like, uh, let's say 50% or something like that. It's not like that.
Uh, the difference you would be able to see in particular nutrients. Let's say an organic food, which, uh, will have much more better, uh, uh, antioxidants.
Uh, it'll have lower pesticide residues. So, but if you, if you look at macronutrients like protein, carbohydrates, it'll be roughly similar. Okay.
Kudrat (Host): Sahil is clear. There’s negligible to no difference in macronutrients when it comes to organic vs conventional food. There is a difference in micronutrients, but even that, said Sahil, is in the 20-30% range.
So an organic tomato would have 20% more lycopene, an antioxidant, than an inorganic tomato.
The biggest pro of organic food is that there’s very little pesticide residue on food.
But, the reality is also that organic food is more expensive. Sahil said that if you can’t afford organic food, there’s other ways to eat safely.
Sahil: So, um, again, these regulatory bodies have already, um, made, uh, limits. Okay. That how much amount of you can use the pesticide. I mean, so most of them are below, uh, harmful dosages. Okay.
So even if, let's say, because this is a very right point, that most of the organic foods are very costly when we compare it to the conventional ones.
So let's say if you are not able to afford the organic ones, there are certain things that you can do that might help you reduce the pesticide residue that you have in that particular vegetable. Um, so what you can do is you can wash your vegetable or fruit under running water. You can, um, blanch them, or you can feel them, because a lot of these, uh, pesticides or, uh, these kinds of hormones are used, uh, to fasten up the, uh, maturation process.
Uh, so yeah, these are few things. Even if you don't buy organic, if you cannot afford it, you can do, and that will lower the, uh, pesticide residue.
Kudrat (Host): So, if you’re buying conventional food because you can’t afford organic, make sure to wash the produce properly. And avoid eating peels where possible.
And, if your budget allows, experts suggest prioritising organic options for foods eaten with the skin. So, buy organic versions of produce like tomato or bhindi, where you eat the skin.
In the US, consumer groups publish lists like the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen to guide such choices. These lists are not perfect, but they reflect a simple idea. Not all foods carry the same risk.
Kudrat (Host): Back at the store, the organic oils still cost more.
Some consumers, whose pockets allow, gravitate toward organic options.
Others, like Megha, don’t trust the label. Or don’t have the time to go out of their way to ensure their food is organic. Or they cannot afford to pay higher prices.
Of course, if you can, it’s better to buy organic versions of products. Preferably products that you source directly from farmers.
If you can’t, however, there’s other things you can do. These include ensuring you remove peels, washing produce properly, and eating cooked food whenever possible.
Outro: That's all for today. You just heard The Signal Brief. We don't do hot takes. Instead, we bring you deep dives into the how and why of consumer trends. The Core produces The Signal Brief. Follow us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.
To check out the rest of our work, go to www.thecore.in.
If you have feedback, we'd love to hear from you. Write to us at feedback@thecore.in or you can write to me personally at kudrat@thecore.in.
Thank you for listening.
