In this era of packaged food items its hard to ignore the fact that a lot of these packaged brands are deemed fake or unsafe for usage.
You may recall the Supreme Court Order which had majority of the packaged milk brands tested for chemicals. A large number of them turned out to be hazardous to health after a detailed investigation was conducted.
Read More: Majority of Packed Milk Brands are Hazardous to Health: Supreme Court
If a regular person wants to test the authenticity of a food item they can go to a food lab to get it tested.
Karachi has one. Unfortunately, the Karachi Food Lab has been out of commission since the last decade.
About The Lab
The lab was established back in the 1960’s and was responsible for checking 105 different types of food items. These included:
- packaged milk
- cooking oil
- sauces
- pickles
- mirch masala
- bakery items
- biscuits
- chocolates
- tap water
- mineral water
- and other food items
12 food inspectors were appointed to test these food items and are supposed to get 3 samples from each food item they are testing. They collect these samples from a Public Analyst and are supposed to report their findings to the court and Senior Director of the Food Lab.
Nothing is in Working Order
When asked about the equipment in the lab, Senior Director of the Food Lab, Javaid-ur-Rehman says that the lab is completely outdated. All of the equipment purchased back in 1965 has broken down or expired. No tests have been performed since the last 10 years except for those for iodine and distilled water.
About 600 samples are sent to the lab every month but none of them get checked at all. Public Analyst Dr. Raziudin says:
We are following 1965 laws which is why the majority of food items are not in our custody to check. Now Sindh Government has decided to make a Sindh Food Authority just like Punjab Food Authority, but when it will happen no one knows.
Via The News
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