THE government’s latest findings on the quality of ghee, cooking oil and packaged milk available in the market are deeply alarming and should not be treated as just another regulatory report. Nearly half of the ghee samples tested failed to meet prescribed standards, while significant proportions of cooking oil and packaged milk samples were also found substandard. Even more disturbing is the revelation that some milk samples contained only a fraction of the required milk fat. These findings raise serious questions about the safety of food being consumed by millions of Pakistanis every day.
The issue is not merely about quality or compliance with technical standards. Food safety is directly linked to public health. At a time when cardiovascular diseases and other non-communicable illnesses are increasingly affecting even younger people, the presence of substandard food products in the market cannot be ignored. The government deserves credit for ordering the testing exercise, but identifying the problem must be followed by decisive action against those responsible.More importantly, the problem is unlikely to be confined to ghee, edible oil and packaged milk. A comprehensive scrutiny is needed of other widely consumed food items, including spices, flour, pulses, meat and dairy products. Adulteration and substandard quality have long been concerns in many of these sectors, yet enforcement remains inconsistent and, in some cases, virtually invisible. Provincial food authorities, PSQCA and other departments entrusted with ensuring food safety and maintaining quality standards must now demonstrate that they are capable of performing the responsibilities assigned to them. Regular inspections, credible laboratory testing, strict penalties and public disclosure of violations should become routine rather than exceptional measures. There is little justification for maintaining regulatory departments if they cannot protect citizens from unsafe and substandard food. The state’s foremost responsibility is to protect the lives and wellbeing of its people. Food safety is not a luxury or a bureaucratic formality; it is a basic public right. The latest findings should serve as a wake-up call and this time, the response must go beyond reports and committees to visible and sustained enforcement.
