There are many different varieties of Organic Food. The most popular kind that can be found in most of the popular supermarkets is processed organic foods. If one were to look through the shelves of these markets they would find canned foods and frozen vegetables that have the name organic written prominently on them. The food packets are required to have government certifications on them, so customers should check for them before purchasing them. There are also many organic food products like dairy products, meat and vegetables sold in their fresh form in normal markets. There are organic food fairs held in the metros that give people an opportunity to get these items straight from the farms.

It is important to note that it is not just vegetables and fruits that are sold organically. Meat can also be organic. It is common among livestock farmers to give antibiotics and growth hormones to their animals to make them grow faster. Organic farmers abstain from doing all this. They prefer to feed the animals natural products and help them grow in a healthy way. Eating organic meat is considered to be healthier than eating conventional meat.

The organic craze has spread to dairy products as well. It is common for the milk derived from cows, goats and sheep to have the organic certification on them. One can also find the organic tag on yogurt, sour cream, ice cream and cottage cheese. There are many kinds of fishes that are specially reared in fish breeding farms. They play a valuable role in developing organic fishes. The fish that is caught in the open sea can be unhealthy since the waters in the oceans have a tendency to be polluted. One also cannot know what the fishes eat and what kind of negative chemicals they have been exposed to. That is the reason that many people are switching to organic fishes that are bred in a safe environment. With the threat of oil spills and toxic waste destroying our natural environment eating organic fishes might just be the way of the future.

It is easy to get organic variety in any food product. Organic simply means that it is grown naturally without the use of any chemicals. Organic food products are not just being created for humans. They are being created for dogs as well. There are many products for canines that are prepared through natural methods.

Before going to the supermarket to purchase organic foods, it is essential that buyers learn certain things about these products. The first thing that they need to learn is the difference between organic food products and the conventional food products. The primary difference is in the manner that the two varieties are farmed. Conventional farming involves the utilization of chemicals to hasten the growth and increase production of the vegetables. Ammonium Nitrate is commonly used to increase the quantities of food products that are grown on the farm. Insecticides are used to destroy the pests that hamper the growth of farm produce. In fact, even the livestock on a farm are given growth hormones to increase their size. However, organic food does away with all these chemicals and grows the fruits and vegetables through natural means. Seeds, manure and plant materials are used to prevent the growth of bugs and weeds that could hamper the development of the produce.

There are actually different kinds of organic food items. Some are completely organic. There are other food products which are mostly organic and vary in their levels like ninety percent organic or seventy percent organic. Then there are conventional food products that have organic ingredients in them. According to research done by the Environmental Working Group, which is a non-profit organization based in the United States, there are twelve food items which have the maximum amount of chemicals in them. The list includes many commonly eaten items like lettuce, grapes, strawberries, apples and carrots. The study says that if possible people should buy organic products for these twelve items since they will be a lot healthier.

In case many people are thinking that organic farming is some kind of modern hip concept then they are totally wrong. This is actually one of the oldest concepts known to man. Prior to the 1940s, all farming was done through organic means. It was only after the development of fertilizers and pesticides that farmers began to abandon the ancient ways and take to modern methods. They found that by using chemicals they could grow much bigger crops in a faster way. So in a sense by eating organic food mankind is actually going back to its roots. These kinds of food products are beneficial for pregnant women as studies have shown that foetuses could get harmed even with low level exposure to pesticides and other chemicals.

With organic food products making the news frequently these days there are a lot of questions asked by people as to what the advantages and disadvantages of these products are. Are they as healthy and toxin free as they are made out to be? Are they affordable for the average customer? Are they nutritious? As with everything else, there are various advantages and disadvantages to organic food.

It is believed on the basis of research conducted by various scientists that organic food has superior nutritional value to food grown through normal methods. Food grown through the regular methods tends to have large quantities of pesticides and fertilizers in them. This restricts their ability to produce enough quantities of phytochemicals. One of the problems of not having enough phytochemicals in food is that the consumer is at a much greater risk of contracting various diseases. However, since organic food items do not have negative influences like pesticides in them, they are able to produce phytochemicals freely. These properties subsequently work to the welfare of the consumer as he is able to eat healthy food.

The second question that many people have in their minds is whether growing organic food is good for the environment. On this account as well, these kinds of food products score over their conventional counterparts. One of the major benefits is that this type of farming uses considerably less energy than that used by conventional farming. It helps in developing a richer variety of soil since it limits the quantities of pollution in the groundwater. It has been found that organic farming plays an important role in reducing erosion.

Of course, consumers always have a question with regard to the cost. This is where the conventional food products score over the organic varieties. Organic food products do cost a lot. Many consumers from low income homes might find these products too expensive to buy. That is why they are primarily sold in upper middle class or rich areas, where consumers have the deep pockets to buy such items. In fact, organic food producers in India tended to earn most of their income from selling to customers in Europe and North America. It is only through the growth of the upper middle class in India are these producers now starting to find a local market for their products. But if you can afford it, buy it.

Organic farming has been practised in India since time immemorial. In fact, this was the standard system of farming practised in the country. The nutrients needed for growing the crops were all derived from natural methods. However, in the twentieth century the population of India began to grow rapidly. The need to feed the millions who now inhabited the sub-continent began to assume urgency never felt before. In the 1950s and 1960s the country went through a series of food shortages and the government was forced to take quick action. Fertilizers, pesticides and chemicals were introduced into Indian agriculture for the first time so that the country could produce the vast quantities of food needed to satisfy the hunger of millions. But now after a few decades the country is self sufficient in food, but its citizens are starting to feel the ill effects of eating contaminated products. The people are now feeling a need to switch back to naturally made products and using methods of cultivation that was practised in the olden days.

However, one of the problems with organic farming is that it is more expensive than conventional farming. While there are now a large number of certified organic farms in India with the number growing by the day, they still cater essentially to the needs of the upper class. Many of them grow their produce for western societies who can afford such products. India is still a low income country and organic farming cannot provide for such a large population. For the time being many organic firms earn much of their income through exports. The popularity of these products is still restricted to the big metros and a few tier two cities.

There are quite a few associations in India that govern organic farming in India like OFAI and AOFG. Thanks to these organizations many organic farmers now have an umbrella organization that they can function under and help to promote their work. In rural areas many farmers have started to switch to organic farming as they have realised that they can reap rich dividends by following this method. States like Sikkim, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka are showing a great deal of development in organic farming. But despite impressive progress, organic farming in India is still at a nascent stage. Many experts believe that the country has tremendous untapped potential when it comes to organic farming.

Many producers find that growing organic food is easier than marketing it. It is not unusual for farmers to be better at running their farms than competing in the marketplace. But just as farmers invest the time to learn the art of growing crops it is equally important that they learn the skills to sell their products.

The first thing to do is to communicate the usefulness of organic foods clearly to the customer. While there is plenty of information on this type of farming, there are also many people who are unaware of the health benefits of these types of products. Therefore, organic food producers should either start their own campaigns or get themselves involved in campaigns that talk about the benefits of these types of food products. They should particularly focus on how these products are free of pesticides.

The next thing that marketers can do is to focus on what their target market is going to be. These kinds of food products are rather expensive. It is therefore out of the range of low income buyers. It would be a good idea for sellers to aim their efforts at those who are in the high income range. This way they will know that they are going to get good prices for their products. There are many sellers in India who find that it is easy for them to get high revenues by exporting their products overseas. Markets in North America and Europe have a high demand for these products.

Many marketers sell their produce to restaurants. This might take a bit of convincing in the beginning. Many restaurant owners would want to know why they should pay money for organic products when they can pay less and get conventional produce at a cheaper rate. This is where the seller should really employ his negotiation skills and get the restaurant owner to agree to the deal. If the seller were to be successful, he would find a regular customer for his products.

There are also many fairs held all over India where organic food items are being sold. It is common to find such fairs in the big metros like Bangalore. This offers the chance for many sellers to talk directly to the buyer and explain to them the opportunity to try some of these products. This will also allow sellers a chance to interact with other producers and share tips and experiences.

Though restricted to the major metropolitan cities for the time being, the demand for organic food in India is rapidly growing. Some of the major reasons for this growth are the easy availability of these products in retail outlets and the fact that the middle class consumer has more money to spend. There is also a growing awareness about how organic food is good for the health of the consumers. Parents are increasingly getting concerned about the negative effects that junk food and poor diet is having on the health of their children, hence the rapid switch to organic food.

According to a survey, the greatest demand for organic products comes from Mumbai. This is followed by the National Capital Region. Tier Two cities like Indore, Chandigarh and Ahmadabad are showing a great deal of demand for these products as well. Organic food products can be divided into different categories like fruits, vegetables, milk and juices. Among all the categories, organic vegetables were the most regularly purchased items by Indian customers.

The demand for organic food products has allowed many people to find ways to run a profitable business. In fact it is not just Indians who run organic food companies, even foreigners have started successful ventures in this industry. Yoav Lev is one such entrepreneur who came from Israel as a young backpacker and stayed on to find the hugely successful venture Organic India. Another interesting story is that of Raj Seelam, an IIM graduate who gave up the multimillion dollar salaries of the corporate world to start his own organic food processing business. Both entrepreneurs along with many others in this industry have become hugely successful and have seen their business grow exponentially.

There is also a noticeable shift in the marketing strategies of businesses. There was a time when most of their revenues were coming from exports. They were catering mainly to markets in Western countries. But the bulk of earnings for many companies are now derived from the local Indian market. There was a time when producers were finding it difficult to get shops to store their products. But that trend has changed. If one were to walk into any well known supermarket chain in India they would find a wide variety of organic food products stocked on the shelves. With the health benefits of organic food items well publicised these days, the demand for such products is only going to grow.