Sale of substandard ghee not to be allowed, says CJP

45 samples at Utility Stores declared
suitable for human health, SC told

ISLAMABAD: The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (SC), Mian Saqib Nisar, has remarked that the court is concerned over the sale of substandard ghee at Utility Stores and it cannot be allowed to be sold in the country.

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC), headed by Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, took up for hearing on Tuesday the suo motu notice case on the sale of substandard ghee at Utility Stores.

During the course of hearing, the counsel for Utility Stores took the plea that 51 samples of ghee being sold in Utility Stores were collected and out of them 45 samples were declared suitable for human health while the remaining six samples were were found to be of relatively low quality.

The ghee, which had not come up to standard, would be returned to their respective companies while in Chitral Division the laboratory checking of ghee at Utility Stores could not be conducted due to snowfall, he added.

The counsel further said that larger food chains sold out used cooking oil to others which was used by those who prepared samosa, pakora and fried fish. “Used cooking oil is highly injurious to health,” he said.

CJP Saqib Nisar remarked, “We are concerned over the sale of substandard ghee and it cannot be allowed in the country. Stopping the sale of used ghee is the responsibility of the government. What steps have been taken by the government for preventing the sale of poor quality ghee?”

The CJP further remarked that the respective food authorities could be summoned on the matter of sale of used oil. “We will review the matters of used ghee, Chinese salt, tetra pack milk and plastic bottle water in the next hearing.”

The court, while allowing the sale of ghee conforming to standard set by the government at Utility Stores, sought a report on ghee being sold out in Chitral Division’s Utility Stores on the next hearing.

The SC, while appointing Salman Akram Raja as amicus curiae in suo moto case, adjourned the hearing indefinitely.