New pure food rules

In a seminal, though overdue move, the Punjab government has notified pure food rules to eliminate the sale of injurious and substandard edibles in the province, says a news report. The chairman of Punjab Chief Minister's Task Force, while briefing the press, has said that the rules earlier in force had in fact restricted the authority of the regulators.
For instance, anybody mixing water in the milk could be punished, but there was no law to punish those who added injurious additives to milk to increase its shelf life. According to him, chemicals such as washing powder, pesticides and even hair removing powder are mixed in milk to increase its shelf life.
He has quoted numerous other instances where chemicals highly injurious to human health are added to food items. A recent survey has shown that over 90 percent of food products tested in labouratories, ranging from frozen food items, milk, bottled water, tea, cold drinks, flour, pulses, spices etc are adulterated, which is a very high ratio of adulteration.
Pakistani food products have already failed to pass the global food standards test, which is one of the reasons for absence of processed food exports from the country. This has caused heavy loss to the national economy.
Another survey relating to the prevalence of food adulteration in the province says only 158 out of 1,186 beverage samples tested in May 2008 were up to the required standard. Similarly, 93 percent of milk or milk product samples were found substandard. Under the new rules, any violation will be punishable with imprisonment of 5 to 15 years, and a fine ranging from Rs 500,000 to Rs 2.5 million.
Consumer protection groups and organisations as well as print and electronic media all over the world are playing a proactive role in safeguarding consumer rights that cover a wide range of issues, including product liability, privacy rights, unfair business practices, fraud, misrepresentation and other kinds of consumer-business interaction.
The internationally recognised eight consumer rights, include satisfaction of basic needs, safety choice, information, consumer education, redress, representation and a healthy environment. These laws enable consumers to have a strong say in ensuring the purity of the food they eat, the medicines they use, the water they drink or the other products they use at home.
The level of food adulteration in Pakistan is quite alarming. According to available data, although there are over 300 brands of cooking oil and bottled water available in the market, only 16 cooking oil manufacturers, 60 water bottlers, two biscuit manufacturers and only one carbonated drink manufacturer is registered with the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA). This is reflective of the gravity of the situation.
A major part of the problem is lack of adequate monitoring mechanism for food products to ensure a high standard of purity. The European Union ban on Pak food imports ought to have sounded the alarm bells, but apparently nothing of the sort has happened. Aside from the harm caused by food adulteration, rising environmental pollution too has taken a heavy toll on national health.
According to one estimate, the high level of air pollution, particularly in urban centres of the country, is causing an annual loss of Rs 62 to Rs 65 billion to the national economy in terms of lost man-hours and the expenses incurred on treatment. Pure food rules, notified by the Punjab government are a step in the right direction.
In fact, food and drinking water impurity and the rising air pollution in the country today constitute major health hazards to the nation. The federal government should promulgate and enforce strict food purity laws. Secondly, the marketing of spurious and substandard medicines and pesticides too should be checked by mobile teams with an iron hand.
Thirdly, the government should make it absolutely mandatory for all manufacturers to get registered with Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority. And lastly, special magistrates should be appointed to hand down deterrent punishments to adulterators.