Fruit sellers using different ways to cheat consumers

Rawalpindi: The fruit sellers and vendors have adopted a number of ways to deceive the customers with an aim to earn high profit by selling substandard food material in sheer violation of the rules set by the health department.

"The vendors and stall holders were using oil in the past to increase shine of dates, one of the most popular food items at ‘iftar’. But now they put the dates in big jars filled with used and dirty mobile oil to give them shine that lasts for so many days," said Mohsin Riaz, a food expert.

He said so many varieties of apples like golden apple are available these days in the markets and people buy them on high prices, adding "The wholesale dealers use very thin layer of plastic having beautiful red colour to cover the outer area of apple with the help of machines."

Mohsin Kazmi said the people can easily identify the thin layer of plastic on outer area of apple by making small cuts with a knife but most of them are unaware about it and thinking that they are eating a very high quality of apple.

He said the stall holders are selling watermelons on high rates but some of them are also looting customers with the use of old evil tactics as they inject chemicals into them through syringes that  make their inner parts artificially red.