Ones fattened on antibiotics low on the pecking order
If you are eating out this weekend and yet want to keep it healthy, do order grilled corn fed thyme lemon chicken or corn fed baby chicken with prune and wine glace. Alternatively, you can go for organic chicken tikka or shawarmas stuffed with organic meat.
Organic chicken and inspired recipes at fine diners have never had these many takers. The recent report claiming that chickens in Delhi and NCR are being fed on antibiotics to grow faster and this can be “strongly linked to growing antibiotic resistance among Indians”, has pushed up sales of the organic variety and jacked up prices at restaurants feeding on the fear frenzy of consumers.
“Since organic chicken is three times more expensive than the ordinary chicken, price of dishes prepared with organic produce is surely higher. Earlier, it was difficult to make some guests understand why those dishes in our restaurant cost higher than others. But after there has been an awareness on organic chicken and its health benefits, people are more than happy to pay a high price,” says Bharat Datta, owner of Faarsi in Hauz Khas Village.
Only a few people understand the difference between organic chicken, corn fed chicken and the one that is fed on antibiotics.
For organic chicken, the birds are raised organically, no later than two days after they hatch. Organic chickens are fed on organic feed for their entire lives. Organic feed cannot contain animal byproducts, antibiotics, or genetically engineered grains and cannot be grown using persistent pesticides or chemical fertilisers. It is prohibited to give drugs, antibiotics and hormones to organic birds. All birds must have outdoor access. Vivek Kushwaha from Gayatri Organic Farms in Chattarpur says, “It takes around 40 days to raise a bird to get organic chicken, while the one that is raised with injected antibiotics is grown in just a week. The birds that are raised in an organic manner will look healthy and the meat will have better texture and taste. For corn fed chicken, the birds are only fed corn. This kind of chicken is being used for specific dishes.” Kushwaha says that while the price of any other chicken is around `160 per kg, corn fed chicken or organic chicken costs `500 per kg. Despite the high cost, there has been 30 per cent increase in his sales in the last six months.
“We have been supplying organic chicken to restaurants like Roost Bistro, Indigo Deli and five-star hotels like Hyatt, leela and The lalit. But we have recently got orders for organic and corn fed chickens from more high-end restaurants in the city. Families buying organic chicken in Delhi are more now. Women from the family often call up our office to take details on organic chicken and place special orders,” adds Kushwaha.
The retailers in major markets in INA and Greater Kailash have now been getting frequent orders for organic meat. “Since it is expensive, we do not keep the stock with us but as people are specially asking for it now, we are planning to put out a notice in our shop mentioning that organic meat is available on demand,” says Dinesh Sukla from Bombay Fish House. Mohammad Irfan of Taj Fresh Poultry farm rues that the buzz for organic meat has affected the sale of regular meat. “My sale of chicken has gone down by 25 per cent,” he says.
To keep alive this buzz, restaurateurs have directed their staff to make a special mention to the guests that they will be served organic chicken. Says Pranay Kumar from Roost Bistro, “People should know that organic tastes better than the other meat, so either through a special name in the menu or through our staff we are informing our clientele that we are only serving organic chicken. This has surely led to more regulars to our restaurant and thus, more business. People are more health conscious today than they were a few years ago and they do not mind spending extra money if the food they are being served is healthy and delicious.”
Keeping in mind the high cost of organic chicken, the trend so far can only be seen in fine diners and five-star hotels. Chef Saby, who runs a boutique hospitality management company, Fabrica by Chef Saby, says the ‘free range chicken’ or what we call as organic has, so far, not reached the masses. “First of all, we do not have any certification for organic chicken in India, like it is there in other countries. It is very difficult to find ‘organic’ chicken that stands up to all the standards. What is mostly being used is corn fed chicken, I have been using it for a long time, and it is loved for its taste. But the popularity of such meat is only among those who are well-travelled, informed and do not mind spending big money on a dinner outing,” he says.
(With inputs by Neeti Nigam & Priyanka Joshi)