LAHORE: Though the intent of government is good, bringing down rates of essential items would be an uphill task even in provinces managed by PTI; ensuring their quality and preventing adulteration would require even more efforts and time.
The deterioration of governance level in the country has added to the miseries of the consumers that are paying high rates without being sure of the quality of food they consume.
Pakistan lags far behind even among the regional countries in regulation of the sales of food items. The high inflation and huge rupee devaluation has naturally increased the cost. Is the government prepared to lower government levies on edible oil most of which is imported?
The opening of economy and availability of imported processed food has highlighted the stark difference between the foods and daily use imported items and the similar products produced locally.
First, all the ingredients of the item are clearly mentioned on the packing. Then expiry date is mention even on toilet soaps. All types of toothpastes have an expiry date. The manufacturing and expiry date is mentioned on each edible packed item. This includes jams, marmalade, prickles, sauces, drinks, juices, custard, jelly, chocolate, wheat flour and its preparations, edible oil, butter, biscuits, rice, sweets, potato chips and even frozen meat, rice, shampoo or any daily used item consumed by a human being or even pets.
The labels clearly mention that the only food colours have been used in the preparation. In most of the items, the consumers are warned that not to use it if they are allergic to certain ingredients of the product.
In Pakistan only, the expiry date is mentioned without exception on medicines only. The printing of retail price of the medicine is also mandatory under the law.
There are a few exceptions in medicines, as well as no expiry date is mentioned on medicated toothpastes that contain drugs for treating teeth. The manufacturers naturally do not mention the expiry date on normal toothpastes, as well. The retail prices on most daily use items are not mentioned on all products.
The practice of revealing the ingredients and expiry date on edible oil and ghee preparations was introduced in 1998 by the PML-N’s Punjab government. This regulation was adhered to by most of the edible oil manufacturers for a long time.
However, the absence of any check by the regulators in recent years has encouraged many manufacturers ignore this practice.
The quality and purity of the edible items is crucial for the general health of the consumers. A number of them get ill after consuming edible items that have expired. This is great injustice to those that pay the rate for a healthy consumable product, but are cheated by the manufacturers who might have sold them expired items.
This unethical practice has been effectively checked in most of the emerging economies. The manufacturers in these economies dispose of those items that are nearing their expiry date at half or even lower rates.
We do not see this practice in Pakistan because they do not have to mention the cutoff date for use on numerous edible products.
Our experience during the fasting month of Ramazan shows that even when the entire administration is out to control prices they fail to control the quality. The consumers get rotten fruits and vegetables, substandard edible oil, adulterated gram flour at government mentioned price, while quality stuff is available at high rates. This government even failed to control rates of essential items in the last fasting month. It is still not prepared enough to exercise its writ on excessive profiteering. Reforming manufacturers again would require transparent and strict regulations. As only revealing the ingredients and dates on edible and other daily use items would not ensure purity and quality.
The regulator check and testing of these items would be essential to enforce true compliance. The Punjab government, at present, lacks creditable testing labs. The capacity and capability of regulatory institutions would be equally important.
These institutions have incompetent and corrupt staff that even lets the retailers that tinker with weights and measures. A consumer paying for one kilogramme of an item might end up with 10 to 20 percent less because standard weights are not used.
Adulteration in milk, grinded chilies and other such items could only be checked if the regulatory institutions are strong, transparent with competent and honest staff.