Rather selling the raw produce to the markets, the farmers could initiate the process of value addition and even sell the cooked food or precooked food, which can be directly consumed by the people. This process will generate them additional income ten times the normal. Additional employment is also created in the villages.
The farmer who can produce food, can also make the food which can be consumed.
Food is the basic need. Access to healthy food is a major concern globally.
1. Fresh food to eat
2. Quality of food
3. Taste of food
4. Hygiene of food
Challenges for good health through access to healthy food
There are many who are not able to access healthy food for various reasons such as:
1. Time required for cooking
2. Right kind of fuel / energy required to cook
3. Use of right ingredients
4. Cost of the ingredients
5. Time required for choosing and fetching the ingredients
6. Unhygienic conditions in the kitchen due to bad practices
7. One does not know cooking well
8. Due to age factor some people are not able to cook
9. Unable to serve the fresh food
10. For health reasons different types of food is to be served in a family
11. The cost of food to buy is high
12. There are not many hygiene food outlets
Healthy kitchens run by farmers would address all the above issues. Some are like:
Creating healthy kitchen
A healthy kitchen would have various aspects such as:
1. Fire source for cooking
2. Lighting at the cooking place
3. Cleanliness of the premises and utensils
4. Food Preparation area and cleanliness
5. Food storage area
6. Cooking food method
7. Storage of spatula
8. Cooked food storage
9. Serving room and place
10. Cleanliness of the stove area
11. Waste vegetables storage
12. Waste food storage area
13. Waste material such as plastic covers, etc.
14. Regular cleaning of the kitchen, no visibility of pests
15. Cleanliness of the person cooking
16. Apron and other accessories a must while cooking
17. Hands should not be used for tasting the food
18. Other habits of the cook such as scratching, rubbing, etc. to be avoided.
19. Methods of converting or value addition of kitchen waste, such as composting
Applicability of Healthy Kitchen concept
1. Applicable to community kitchens
2. Institutional kitchens
3. Private enterprises
4. Local door to door vendors
5. Individual enterprises created
6. Open House Kitchens, etc
Outreach of the food cooked
1. Children in schools
2. Youth
3. Old people
4. People sick or with long term ailments
5. Destitute’s
6. Families
7. Working people
8. Any other
Models to declare the healthy kitchens
Valuation or ranking of the kitchens for declaring as “Healthy Kitchens”, independent assessment of the existing enterprises. Creating enterprises using women and youth for cooking and delivering (the model would be in between Swagruha and Dabbawalas.