90% organic families
Several families in UAE eat organic. We talk to some folks about their food choices and how it pushes the budget
An autoimmune diagnosis 20 years ago caused Justine Baine to reconsider her food choices. It’s not that the doctor had told her to especially eat organic — he simply gave her tablets to keep the condition in check. The eating healthy and organic was all her own work — educating herself on the matter, learning what she had to do as an adult to figure out how to beat this thing. No chicken nuggets or French fries for her ever, although the occasional treat, a doughnut for the kids is permissible. A Dubai resident for over 20 years, Brit national Justine, mother of three, is founder of Sandy Seeds Health Awareness, an initiative to spread the message of healthy eating in schools and in the community at large. Justine shops, eats and grows organic produce. She also makes organic home cleaners, which is how the allergies in her family are kept under check. She even makes her own almond milk. What are the foods Justine buys that are always organic? Dairy and meat are non-negotiables — it has to be organic. “We’re a family with a history of autoimmune disease and allergies. We don’t consume much dairy, in any case. And the meat I buy has to be organic and grass fed (not corn fed/ ‘seed lock’) as grass fed has more omega.” Justine says, cows fed on pastures (‘open plan’) need less antibiotics — it’s just healthier.” She’s also very careful about not drinking from plastic bottles, as heat plus plastic is yet another endocrine disruptor. Emirati creative landscape designer Kamelia Zaal has been eating organic produce for the last 10 years. Given her professional background, her interest in the environment, she has a vegetable patch where she grows watermelons, pumpkins, basil, lemongrass, etc. She too doesn’t compromise on meat — it has to be organic. Kamelia doesn’t consume dairy, but for her young son, she again buys only organic. Her organic to inorganic consumption is about 90-10. She might pick up the odd fruits and veggies she might pick up inorganic, for lack of availability. Say, Cherries and clementines.
COST vs VALUE
Kamelia says she doesn’t have time to find the best deal on organic produce “Yes, it’s expensive. The pricing is a challenge. The something of a monopoly here in UAE is very frustrating. But I’d rather spend on good food than a handbag.”
Justine Baine’s made her peace with the exorbitant cost of organic food in UAE. She wants to demystify the elitist connotations of organic food, as often it slots you in a certain type. Different families do what they can to eat healthy, Justine says. And educating yourself is very empowering. Taking the long view, she says, “If we all supported the local farmers, and bought organic for health, environment and ethical reasons, prices will eventually come down.”
LH, who doesn’t want to be named, is the mother of a toddler and the founder of a food company, says she’s got about 80 per cent organic stuff in her fridge. “With a stone on my heart, I buy milk that’s flown in from the UK, conscious as I am of the carbon footprint and food miles”. How does the household budget work? “We eat out less, spend less money on other things”. She says she has a few hacks. Example: avocados and oranges, fruit with a peel basically, she doesn’t organic. Tomatoes and apples, on the other hand, are always organic.
While there are different budgets and priorities, the consensus among the organic-buying families seems to be that nothing is more important than good, healthy food.