Food on the mind

Food is very much in the news these days. Recently, the Joy of Learning team presented two sessions on farming in Auroville, where the issue of Aurovilians’ food tastes, and how this impacts the farmers by determining what and how much organic food they grow, was an important topic. The farmers pointed out that purchasing and eating Auroville-grown food was not only a healthy alternative to food sourced from outside markets, but it also makes sense to support activities that enhance the environment rather than, as in conventional agriculture, deplete it. They strongly suggested that Auroville food outlets should do more to promote Auroville-grown food.

The Joy of Learning sessions were followed by a survey of seven Auroville food outlets, conducted by the Residents Assembly Service (RAS) in which over three hundred people participated. Most of the participants (68%) specified that the Pour Tous Distribution Centre (PTDC) in the Solar Kitchen complex was their main place to get food products. Pour Tous Purchasing Centre (PTPS) in Kuilapalayam was the main outlet for 24%. All the other outlets, like HERS and Foodlink, were visited much less often.

Interestingly, the motivation for people using the main outlets differs. Most of the people who use PTPS do so because of the wide range of products it stocks, whereas the most common reasons for using PTDC were its central location and the principles upon which it is based.

When respondents were asked what they would like to change in specific food outlets, they said that ‘junk-food’ items, multinational brands and non-recyclable packaging should be reduced at PTPS, while making Auroville farm products available throughout the day and giving clearer information about the items (like prices) should be prioritised at PTDC.

Participants were also asked more general questions like, should there be a central purchasing service for all Auroville outlets as, at present, each outlet does the purchasing for itself. An overwhelming majority (93%) were in favour of this.

They were also asked if another food outlet in Auroville was needed. 42% seem to think so, while 58% do not. Interestingly, among those who think there should be an additional outlet, only 15% feel it should be run upon purely commercial lines. Most participants favoured either a self-supporting cooperative or a subsidised cooperative model, on the lines of PTDC.

The survey was not without its critics. It was pointed out, for example, that it was comparing apples with pears as the Pour Tous Distribution Centre is a cooperative focussed upon providing essential items (including meals) to its members, while all the other outlets in the survey operate as conventional food shops. And the questions tended to focus upon Aurovilians’ shopping experience and how to improve it, rather than upon how well we are progressing with the aim of providing all Aurovilians with access to the basic necessities, as was envisaged in The Dream.

In fact, there are surprisingly different perspectives, which often harden into dogma, surrounding food in Auroville. For example, some people believe that an Auroville food outlet should provide whatever the Aurovilians ask for, while others believe that outlets should provide a more limited range of ‘non-luxury’ necessities that are primarily sourced in Auroville. Again, some food outlet executives are happy to charge market prices even for Auroville produce, while the executives of PTDC feel strongly that Auroville food units should not make profits off Aurovilians for the provision of essential food items. (PTDC offers all it provides at cost price and the Auroville Bakery also provides basic bakery items at cost price to Aurovilians.)

Aware of these differences, and keen for a wider discussion of the results of the food survey, the RAS decided to call a General Meeting on the topic. Prior to the meeting, they had met with the executives of the major outlets to explore the idea, which received such popular community support, of centralised purchasing, and the executives agreed they would explore this further.

In preparation for the meeting, the RAS also released further information they had gleaned from the executives of the major food outlets. This included the fact that, in a price comparison of twelve commonly purchased items, PTDC was consistently the cheapest and PTPS the most expensive outlet (although PTPS point out that they offer a number of items at between 2–10% of the recommended retail price). Interestingly, all the Auroville food outlets, with the exception of Ganesh Bakery, claim that a majority of their products originate from Auroville or the immediate bioregion.

The General Meeting took place in the amphitheatre of the Mahalakshmi Park on 10th February. Some people had predicted a stormy discussion because of the different policies and priorities of the food outlets, but in the event there was a surprising degree of agreement concerning how we want to go forward. Collective purchasing was one priority. And when Anandi, executive of PTDS, articulated her wish that, one day, all Aurovilians would be provided with the necessities irrespective of their means, and that there would be one account for all, there was general assent.

Other ideas mooted included reserving the centre of Auroville for outlets and activities that do not require money exchange and that seek to care for Aurovilians collectively, while shops that run in the conventional way can be located on the periphery. And it was suggested that the energy-sapping ‘shopping’ dynamic could be reduced if more ready meals were provided for Aurovilians at food outlets as well as at community kitchens.

The food debate is not over. But on the basis of this meeting, there is a real will to move towards a food distribution system that is more in tune with those challenging words of The Dream: “the needs of the body will be provided for equally in the case of each and everyone”.