Adulterated natural Milk Red alert for human life in Pakistan
IT is true that pure and fresh edible items are a blessing for human life. Fresh and quality milk is one of the important supplements for a healthy life.
It is as important as water for human life. The hidden benefits of natural milk cannot be compensated with any drink or edible items. It is regretted to mention that Pakistan is facing critical issues in all walks of life.
Adulteration in edible items is not excluded. It is quite unfortunate to say that adulterated milk having life threatening chemicals, for increasing quantity and viscosity of it, has become a fate of common people in Pakistan, especially in urban areas of Sindh. It includes Shikarpur, Khairpur, Jacobabad, Sukkur and other small cities.
It is woeful that cattle firms’ owners and milk sellers in small cities like Shikarpur use health hazard chemicals in natural milk in order to maximize their lucrative business by increasing the volume of milk using adulterants. Some of the major adulterants in milk having serious/ adverse health effects are urea, formalin, detergents, ammonium sulphate, boric acid, caustic soda, benzoic acid, salicylic acid, hydrogen peroxide, sugars and melamine.
It has become a lucrative business with small investment of having only 2/3 cows to fulfil the needs of a large chunk of society by producing more quantity of milk through food adulteration means.
It is a life-threatening practice which leads to incurable diseases like cancer, diabetic, pancreatitis, malfunctioning of organs, heart-issues, poor eyesight, kidney issues and ultimately death.
Retrospectively, 33 million adults in Pakistan are living with diabetes – 70% increase since 2019. This means that Pakistan now has the third highest number of people living with diabetes in the world.
Vomiting, dizziness, stomach pain and chronic indigestion issues in most households are common ramifications of using such health hazard milk in everyday use such as tea and drinks.
Lack of access to fresh milk, a natural supplement, in interior cities of Sindh and Punjab is the reason behind the alarming increase in such life threatening diseases.
Natural milk is a blessing in disguise that is a complete diet for a healthy life. It boosts the immune system, strengthens the bones and muscles by supplying the calcium and delaying the aging process by keeping human beings young.
It is sad to learn that people of developing countries like Pakistan, which is already lagging behind in delivering health services, are deprived of pure milk, the biggest natural gift for human beings.
The WHO stated that Pakistan produces 140 million litres of milk annually, while 500 million litres of it is sold. In Pakistan, nowadays, it has become a day-dream for common people to get milk in its pure and natural form. Adulterated milk is dangerous as it may be toxic and lack nutrients essential for growth and development.
To sum up, it is need of hour that the government chalk out an effective strategy to ensure the access of fresh and quality milk to people so that the common man can enjoy a healthy life by having natural milk.
Lactometer is used to measure milk viscosity. Pure milk will have greater viscosity than water. The Food Quality Department must ensure the lab tests of milk from milk vendors using lactometer and other efficient and modern techniques on a monthly basis in order to facilitate every citizen by delivering quality in milk.
There would be a mechanism of registration and renewal of licence of milk sellers based on milk quality.
Media, which is the fourth pillar of the State, should be used as a tool to generate awareness among the masses about milk-checking. This panacea would win their hearts and souls and ensure a happy and prosperous life of common man in Pakistan.
—The Shikarpur-based writer is a civil servant, Government of Sindh.
