My Tryst with Tetra Pak

It is really strange how one’s priorities change in life.

Ten years ago - if I was to contemplate falling in love - the object of my love would certainly not have been an OBJECT.

But being a Mom changes so much.

You fall in love with things - things that keep your family healthy and make your life easier - in general make you a better Mom without your doing too much.

And today I am writing one such love story.

Being - Mom, Parenting and Wellness Consultant and Infectious Diseases specialist all rolled into one is not easy. And I am all three.

As Mom - I want the best for my daughter………..

As Parenting and Wellness Consultant - I know what the best is…….

And as Infectious Diseases specialist - I know when the best things are really not good enough to give her!

And because I am all three - for the longest time - a daily battle raged between the three of me. Especially when I thought of MILK

As Mom I was insistent upon serving my daughter a glass of milk every day. The Parenting and Wellness Consultant in me agreed that it was a good idea because milk is a complete food. But the Infectious Diseases specialist in me was always sceptical.

“Milk that is likely to be unsafe because it has germs in it or has been adulterated -is best not consumed. Drinking such milk does more harm than good” - is what she had to say every time we served up a glass full.

So Milk usually had the three of me frequently disagreeing.

When my daughter was about a year old - all three of me reluctantly agreed to serve up milk that was sold in sealed plastic packets. And though debates still raged in my mind between boiling for long enough times to destroy the germs and short enough times to keep the nutrients intact - I still managed to live in an uneasy calm.

Until one day - by virtue of being the wife of an officer of the Indian Air Force - I had the privilege of setting up home in Jorhat (Assam) - 300 Km from the China Border.

The milk available there was just terrible.

I had never trusted milk supplied by milkmen. So, there once more - I turned to milk in plastic pouches.

In Jorhat however the milk in plastic pouches travelled such long distances to get to me that by the time the packet reached me - it looked battered and dirty itself.

Unlike in the cities and towns where it arrived with clockwork accuracy in time for me to start my day -here- depending on the prevailing road conditions - it arrived at any odd time of the day. Sometimes even past noon.

By the time it reached me it had usually been in transit for so long that it was beginning to spoil. And even when it wasn’t spoilt - it looked dirty and smelt funny.

It was milk that I was compelled to ban from my house.

It was depressing. And for the first time ever since I became part of the Air Force family - I began to regret moving with my husband to the back of beyond.

Fortunately - my regret did not last for long.

Browsing the stores one day for supplies - I chanced upon Tetra Pak.

The brick shaped carton looked sturdy - it said it was tamper evident - the milk in it looked and smelt fresh - it was preservative free and it didn’t need boiling.

I couldn’t have asked for more - I fell in love - in love with Tetra Pak.

I have been a big Tetra Pak fan ever since.

In the years since - even while living in the Metros I have been unable to let go of the goodness of milk packed in Tetra Pak cartons.

However, I discovered a lot more about the company that makes the product I love so much and its commitment to providing safe food and making it available everywhere - at the seminar they organized on Food safety - last Friday in Bangalore.

It was for Moms like me.

They told us how they pack all the nutritious food we want to give our families - in 6 layers of packing!

And because they are so careful while packing what they pack - the food they pack does not get spoilt even though they don’t put in preservatives. All you need to do with food packed in Tetra Pak cartons is - cut (open the carton), Pour (it out) and Drink.

 It is my dream come true.

If you are a Mom - I am sure health and happiness are what you dream of for your family.

Get both - just open Tetra Pak and pour them out.

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