What's Really for Dinner?

What we rarely ask is another question that may be just as important: What else is coming to the table with that simple plate of vegetables?

Over the years, several studies conducted across different parts of India have highlighted concerns around pesticide residues, heavy metals and other contaminants in food crops. All references can be found at the end of this article. Research from Delhi's Yamuna floodplains found traces of potentially harmful elements in vegetables grown in the region. Similar studies from Lucknow and other parts of North India have reported elevated levels of heavy metals and pesticide residues in commonly consumed vegetables. We keep reading about them and then choose to move on to the next news. And the fact remains that we choose what we do not change.

Now, this is not a reason to panic but to take more control of your food.

Our food systems are incredibly complex and there is a whole lot we can not do anything about. But these studies do highlight an important reality: as consumers, we often have very little visibility into how our food was grown and what it may have been exposed to before reaching our plate.

And that's exactly why I believe home gardening is slowly moving from being a hobby to becoming a necessity.

I'm not suggesting that every tomato, brinjal or cabbage you eat must come from your own garden. That's neither practical nor realistic for most families. But I do believe that some portion of your food should come from a space that you control.

Even a balcony, a terrace, or a sunny window is enough to grow a variety of vegetables, herbs and microgreens. Just a few pots outside your kitchen can give you enough produce for a family.

When you grow your own vegetables, herbs and microgreens, you know exactly what goes into the soil. You know what fertilisers are used. You know what sprays are applied, or more importantly, what sprays are not applied.

Because let's be honest: no common consumer can send their vegetables for laboratory testing every other day. The closest thing we have to certainty is growing at least a part of our own food.

And contrary to popular belief, it is not that complicated and you don't need a large backyard to do it. I've seen balconies produce enough tomatoes, chillies, herbs, lettuce and microgreens to supplement a family's meals throughout the season. A well-planned terrace can produce even more.

At AllThatGrows, we strongly believe that growing food changes the relationship you have with what you eat. You become more aware, more connected and more appreciative of every harvest.

Most importantly, you gain control. In a world where food travels hundreds of kilometres before reaching us, that control is valuable. So the next time you're planning dinner, think about whether a small part of it can come from your own garden.

It may not solve every problem in our food system. But it's a very good place to start.

Happy gardening!

References:

1. Chakraborti, D., Singh, S. K., Rahman, M. M., Dutta, R. N., Mukherjee, S. C., Pati, S., & Kar, P. B. (2018). Groundwater arsenic contamination in the Ganga River basin: A future health danger. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(2), 180. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15020180
2. Aithani, D., Jyethi, D. S., Yadav, A. K., Siddiqui, Z., & Khillare, P. S. (2024). Risk assessment of trace elements in vegetables grown in river Yamuna floodplain in Delhi. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 46(6), 180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-024-01948-x
3. Parween, M., Ramanathan, A. L., & Raju, N. J. (2021). Assessment of toxicity and potential health risk from persistent pesticides and heavy metals along the Delhi stretch of river Yamuna. Environmental Research, 202, 111780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.111780
4. Kumar, P., Kumar, S., & Singh, R. P. (2021). High contamination of toxic heavy metals in vegetables and their associated health risk assessment from different vegetable markets of the metropolitan city, Lucknow, India. International Journal of Environmental Research, 15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41742-021-00345-x
5. Kaur, N., Singh, J., Sharma, N. R., Natt, S. K., Mohan, A., Malik, T., & Girdhar, M. (2025). Heavy metal contamination in wastewater-irrigated vegetables: Assessing food safety challenges in developing Asian countries. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 27, 1747. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4EM00565A
6. Tripathy, V., Sharma, K. K., Sharma, K., Gupta, R., Yadav, R., Singh, G., et al. (2022). Monitoring and dietary risk assessment of pesticide residues in brinjal, capsicum, tomato, and cucurbits grown in Northern and Western regions of India. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 110, 104543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2022.104543
7. Sharma, K. K., Tripathy, V., Sharma, K., Gupta, R., Yadav, R., Devi, S., & Walia, S. (2022). Long-term monitoring of 155 multi-class pesticide residues in Indian vegetables and their risk assessment for consumer safety. Food Chemistry, 373, 131518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131518
8. Soman, S., Christiansen, A., Florinski, R., Bharat, G., Hovland Steindal, E., Nizzetto, L., & Chakraborty, P. (2024). An updated status of currently used pesticides in India: Human dietary exposure from an Indian food basket. Environmental Research, 242, 117543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2023.117543
9. Kashyap, U., Garg, S., & Arora, P. (2024). Pesticide pollution in India: Environmental and health risks, and policy challenges. Toxicology Reports, 13, 101801. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxrep.2024.101801