Amidst growing concerns around the presence of heavy metals in fruits and vegetables, Simpli Namdhari’s aims to educate customers about the food we consume and it’s impact on customer health and the role of exotic produce in bridging the nutrition gap.
Simpli Namdhari’s, India’s only 100% vegetarian omnichannel retailer launched the ‘Choose Goodness’ campaign across social media and in-store, to raise awareness of foods that are safe to consume and educate customers on what goes into cultivating fruits and vegetables. Simpli Namdhari’s launched the campaign amidst growing concerns among consumers regarding the presence of toxic heavy metals in fruits and vegetables shelved at major retail outlets in Bengaluru.
The Choose Goodness campaign aims to bust myths surrounding cultivation methods of most produce found in local stores and supermarkets. Given India’s low consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables compared to other plant-based products, Simpli Namdhari’s aims to also create awareness about the role of superfoods like exotic produce in bridging the nutrition gap and improving customer health. Additionally, Simpli Namdhari’s will introduce customers to its seed-to-plate model, emphasizing it’s commitment towards quality control across the supply chain.
“Most customers have no idea how the fruits and vegetables available at their neighbourhood kirana or supermarket are cultivated — Whether it is safe to consume or harmful. It’s largely because retailers procure their produce through a scattered supply chain. Now more than ever, there’s a need to create more awareness among customers about where the food really comes from, the potential impact on their health and the role retailers play in educating customers about it,” said Gurmukh Roopra, CEO, Namdhari’s Group.
With the focus on customer health and wellbeing, Simpli Namdhari’s has taken steps to ensure all fruits and vegetables including exotic produce, shelved at its stores, are safe-to-consume. The company gets its fruits and vegetables tested every quarter by an NABL-certified third-party lab, where checks are conducted under 40 different categories. Fruits and vegetables shelved at Simpli Namdhari’s have been certified with an A+ Grade and follow the BRCGS food standards and GAP Protocol for field operations to test produce.
Namdhari’s Group cultivates crops at its farm in Bidadi or contracts the cultivation to farmers who use Namdhari’s Seeds and prescribed cultivation methods to produce the best-quality fruits and vegetables. Maintaining quality is a top priority, as the produce is not only shelved at Simpli Namdhari’s stores but also exported. In 2023 alone, Namdhari’s exported over 1,000 MT of fresh fruits and vegetables to the UK, Europe & Australia where every single shipment passed clearance of the highest quality.
