Islamabad
Most of the shiny vegetables and fruit being sold in the twin cities are product of poisonous chemicals that give these food items artificial colour and shine to attract customers.
A fruit vendor told this correspondent that injections of erythrosine is used to give artificial red colour to internal part of the watermelon despite the fact that it can cause cancer among the consumers.
“The stalls holders who sell orange juice also use synthetic colour that is generally used to dye clothes and paper. Another chemical oxytocin is also used to give artificial shine to vegetables that look greener for ‘satisfaction’ of the customers,” he said.
An owner of milk shop said they know that those who provide milk at the shops through containers use paint and detergent with ice to preserve milk in the summer.
“The containers don’t have any internal system to preserve milk in the summer so the suppliers get paint and detergent mixed with it to avoid losses in the business,” he said.
It is pertinent to mention here that death toll has risen to 27 in toxic sweetmeats case in Layya that highlighted the gravity of the issue of use of chemicals to sell food items at high rates to the customers.
Dr. Tariq Khan who did his medical degree from the United States said a research carried out on rats in 1990 in America showed that cherry pink synthetic erythrosine that was being used for food colouring could become cause of cancer.
“The practice of using chemical to give artificial colour and shine to the food products are now common especially in the South Asia including Pakistan and India so there is a need to introduce strict laws to check this practice that is causing harmful diseases among the consumers,” he said.
