Kerala-based Arishina Life Sciences, manufacturers of spices and botanical extracts, have resorted to certifying its supply chain with the ‘Rainforest Alliance’ to promote sustainable agricultural practices and fight pesticide contamination of herbs and spices.
High pesticide residues in spices especially turmeric and chilly have been a grave concern and impediment to the dietary and food supplement industry. Contamination of spices occurs mainly via pollution from heavy metals (lead arsenic, cadmium, mercury), industrial emissions, effluents, and also via anthropogenic activities. Prominent contaminants traced out in spices include poly aromatic hydrocarbons like benzopyrene, choloropyriphos, naturally occurring agaric acid, safrole, hypericin, etc.
Consumption of natural ingredients tainted with such hazardous residues found in food, nutrition, and dietary supplements, in the long run, can pose serious health ailments both acute and chronic to consumers. Pesticide contamination not only impacts direct-to-consumer business but also directly correlates to the import of agricultural products. Foreign regulatory authorities off late have initiated stringent measures in setting up tolerance level of pesticide chemical residues that is permitted on human or animal food products.
Rain Forest Alliance is an international non-governmental organisation with a presence in over 70 countries that works towards creating a sustainable world by using social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities. It functions as a multi-stakeholder governance group combining the interests of companies, farmers, foresters, communities, and consumers to produce sustainable and harmonious goods.
Arishina’s practices under Rain forest alliance include:
- Promoting safe practices in cultivation & PPE usage
- Promoting reforestation & related practices
- Pest control management through approved chemical application
- Border crop & intercrop practices
- Organising health cultivation practice awareness programs
- Conducting health camps & medical support
- Wildlife protection
- Create value addition to the farm by introducing add-on crops like Chilly as a rotating crop and Onion as an intercrop.
It’s a collaborated effort and we can go a long way if we bring our farming community to the forefront and address issues pertaining to their social equity and economic viability
Smiju MD, Managing Director, Arishina Life Sciences commented: “Our efforts have always been focused on delivering responsible natural ingredients to our consumers. Most companies resort to the procurement of sustainable produces from rainforest alliance certified farms but care less about their own internal system. The reason why we have opted to go the extra mile and certify Arishina’s own supply management with rain forest alliance.
Arishina ensures the traceability of its agricultural products through constant tracking via GPS tagging and QR coding up to the level of retailing. Currently, the company has partnered with 2400 farmers from the regions across Karnataka capable of producing 2000 hectares of Turmeric and 200 hectares of chilly cultivation annually. Currently, over 350 farms have been certified through Rain Forest Alliance program.
“It’s a collaborated effort and we can go a long way if we bring our farming community to the forefront and address issues pertaining to their social equity and economic viability. Certifying our supply chain management with Rain Forest Alliance is our firm step towards that," Smiju concluded.
