Unhealthy Food Items: By Ishraq A Hashmi

The concern expressed in the Punjab Assembly on Thursday regarding unsafe food items is important and noteworthy for the entire country. According to a report presented in the provincial assembly, only 8 cases were registered against people involved in the preparation and sale of unsafe, fake and adulterated food in a year, which is understandable to the surprise of the members, while Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan had to say that an emergency should be imposed in Punjab against fake milk and adulterated goods. Adulteration, counterfeiting, similar names, similar-looking packets, and similar bottles are a problem for the entire country. 

They affect public health, which also affects people's performance and the country's economy. How is it possible that physical weakness, mental stress and nervous disorder do not affect social life, from the way people talk to their temperament and behavior. In today's world, the development of every country is measured by the speed of its economy, and in a society where the quality of public health is contaminated with poor components of food, medicine, and the environment, the economy is also affected. Social behaviors are also unable to give healthy results and there are concerns of degenerative conditions in many other respects. 

Like other sectors in our dear country, the marketing system requires reform and strict monitoring. To ensure the sale of goods free from adulteration, counterfeiting, and other defects as much as possible, it is necessary that the monitoring system is seen to be working effectively. The system of collecting samples of goods, obtaining analytical reports, and catching counterfeiters should be strictly implemented. The most important thing in this regard is the prevention of bribery. Can we do this?