Packaged Milk Industry Not Regulated for 40 Years

PAKISTAN - A National Assembly committee, stirred by the recent harrowing reports about adulterated milk being sold, came in for a greater shock when they visited the Ministry of Science and Technology for a briefing on the issue on Monday.

17 January 2017

1 minute read

Asia

Production and marketing of packaged milk has remained regulated since their introduction. It was not even listed among the items of common use whose checking is mandatory until recently, Secretary Fazal Abbas Maken of the ministry told the members of the NA Standing Committee on Science and Technology.

But he assured them that in future packaged milk would be checked regularly as it was included in the list of 108 mandatory items last October through the efforts of Federal Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain.

A disclosure made in the Supreme Court during its hearings on the trade had sent shockwaves in the country. It said packaged milk producers used the chemical formalin, used to preserve dead bodies, to prolong the shelf-life of their product.

After listening to the officials, the committee directed the ministry to send it a detailed report about the quality of milk, oil/ghee and water, and another one about the performance of its ancillary departments, within one month.

It also decided to make the ministry’s report public.

Source: Dawn