Helping Hand Gets Help in Return
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A recent study revealed some alarming facts: 65% of baby foods contain arsenic, 58% contain cadmium, 36% contain lead, and 10% contain acrylamide—chemicals that can severely hinder the development of a baby’s brain. This shocking information fueled my determination to launch my baby food products as soon as possible. I couldn’t bear the thought of any mother unknowingly feeding such harmful substances to her child.
As the saying goes, when you’re trying to do something good for society, the universe finds a way to help you. To my surprise, many helping hands extended towards me, and each made a significant impact on our journey.
Challenge 1: Getting Natural Farm Produce
The first challenge was sourcing genuinely natural farm produce. Even organic farms, adhering to government regulations, often have permissible levels of chemicals. While searching for a solution, my husband came across the contact of PadmaShree Dr. Subhash Palekar. After explaining our project to him, he graciously included us in several of his WhatsApp groups, where we connected with farmers practicing natural farming.
Through these networks, we gathered information on over 1,500 farmers from various states, including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Rajasthan. It was a wonderful experience communicating with these farmers, all united by the common thread of natural farming. They cultivated their crops naturally, and we were able to provide children with these natural grains in a traditional way, preserving their full nutritional value.
Challenge 2: Testing the Grain
The next hurdle was ensuring that the farm produce we received was 100% natural. Testing through private or government laboratories proved to be both expensive and time-consuming. Fortunately, BARC (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre) came to our aid. They offered us access to their in-house testing technology at a minimal cost, enabling us to test each batch of farm produce quickly—within just 30 minutes—and affordably.
Challenge 3: Setting Up the Production Unit
With external challenges mostly resolved, the next step was setting up the production unit. Living in a housing society presented certain limitations—like the inability to light a traditional Chula or conduct other production-related activities. After much consideration, we decided to move back to our old house, despite the fact that my mother-in-law, father-in-law, children, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law were all happily settled in our current home.
Once I explained the challenges we faced, particularly regarding production logistics, everyone in the family understood the importance of this move and agreed to it without hesitation. Their support was invaluable and allowed us to overcome the final hurdle in bringing our vision to life.