PFA bans use of Chinese salt

LAHORE: Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has imposed a complete ban on use of Ajinomoto commonly known as Chinese Salt as well as MSG, which is used for enhancing taste in almost every packed, frozen, fast and junk food items.

Officials said the ban was imposed on the recommendations of the scientific panel of the authority. They said that 31 March, 2018 will be the deadline for eliminating Ajinomoto from all kind of edibles across the province. They said that PFA Director General Noorul Amin Mengal also directed the companies who are manufacturing edible products using Ajinomoto to clearly mention on their product’s label that this include Ajinomoto, which is not safe for pregnant women as well as kids below the age of 12 months.

A senior food analyst of PFA said that Ajinomoto is also known as Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), an ingredient found in nearly all fast food products, numerous packed foods and almost in every processed food such as potato chips, tinned soups, packed noodles, salad dressings, cold cuts, packaged cookies, cake frosting and the delicious Chinese food.

Ajinomoto deceives taste buds and make them believe that they are eating something better than you actually are, food experts said, adding it over-stimulates the brain and nervous system and this is why most companies use this magic ingredient as flavour enhancer in their products.

Food experts said that following the controversy about its health impacts, many companies use to disguise MSG’s name as glutamate, hydrolysed corn gluten, hydrolysed protein, autolysed soy protein, yeast extract, yeast food, yeast nutrient, monopotassium glutamate, autolysed yeast extract, and hydrolysed pea/corn protein, calcium caseinate, glutamic acid and many more.

PFA officials said that effects of MSG included headaches, fatigue, palpitations, nausea and vomiting, sweating, flushing and numbness of the face, more so among people who are sensitive to it. Regular use of this ingredient can cause long-term issues like high blood pressure, autism, hormonal imbalance, epilepsy, food allergies, asthma, reduction in bile formation, cancer and possible sterility in females, they added.

Dr Tariq, a local family physician, said a headache is a typical side effect of MSG as continuous consumption of Ajinomoto can cause a gentle headache to transform into a migraine, and it can be critical. He said the side effect of MSG also has an effect on your heart. Ingestion of Ajinomoto contributes to abnormal heartbeats, chest pains, and cardiac muscles arrest.

PFA specialist said MSG contains about one-third of the sodium found in table salt and various international researches showed that MSG has an effect of increasing the blood pressure. They said MSG’s consumption was connected to boost the blood pressure (mainly in women). They said excessive use of MSG also caused SDB (sleeping disordered breathing) as according to researches, consumption of MSG may increase the risk of snoring, sleep-disordered breathing and triggers insomnia (sleeplessness).

OPC: Overseas Pakistanis Commission (OPC) Punjab Vice Chairperson Shaheen Khalid Butt and Commissioner Afzaal Bhatti have said the innovative step of establishing OPC has been taken to secure the rights of overseas Pakistanis.

They expressed these views while presiding over a meeting to review the pending complaints of Overseas Pakistanis in Rawalpindi Division. Commissioner, Rawalpindi Division, Nadeem Aslam Ch, DG, OPC, Syed Javed Iqbal Bokhari, MPA Iftikhar Warsi and DCs and DPOs of Rawalpindi Division attended the meeting.

Shaheen Khalid Butt and Afzaal Bhatti asked the administration of Rawalpindi Division to expedite the resolution mechanism of complaints relating to overseas Pakistanis and a comprehensive strategy be adopted for addressing the issues of expatriates. They said District Overseas Pakistanis Committees (DOPCs) of the entire Division should pro-actively work so that the grievances of the Overseas Pakistanis could be solved amicably.

Commissioner, Rawalpindi Division, Nadeem Aslam Ch said the maximum efforts are being made to resolve the issues faced by Overseas Pakistanis. He directed the civil and police administration to give priority to the issues of the overseas Pakistanis and proceedings regarding redressing complaints be properly uploaded on web complaint portal of OPC. During meeting, certain complaints of overseas Pakistanis were discussed in detail and OPC high-ups and Commissioner Rawalpindi Division issued necessary directions in this regard.