‘Health Halo’: A new opportunity for Organic Food in COVID upsurge

Abstract

Purpose- In order to find out the health impact of organic food, this paper is a systematic review of prevalent literature that summarizes the health implications of organic food vs. non-organic food or conventional food on human health. With the upsurge in COVID cases globally, the demand for organic food has increased over the years. People have shifted toward organically grown food perceiving it to be healthy and safe for consumption which is also claimed to be an immunity booster. This paper not only underlines the health benefits of organic food but is also an attempt to find out the health halo if any behind such formed conventions and beliefs. Design/Method/Approach- The paper draws its knowledge from published work in reliable sources and attempts to understand the beliefs of organic food consumers. Findings- It was found that the people living in developed cities in India are aware of the prevalent benefits of consuming organic food products. They not only prefer organic food products but also consider them safe. Many states of India are working towards achieving the aim of getting 100% organic in the coming years. Various owners of supermarkets in India have witnessed a 30-40% increase in the sales of organic food in the last two years. Research Gap- Clinical research is required to further validate the claimed health benefits by medical professionals.