New Delhi, March 6 (IANS) Food adulteration has become so widespread in Pakistan that it now threatens everyday survival rather than merely compromising consumer choice, a new report has said.

The report from Daily Mirror said adulteration ranges across products from synthetic milk and fake cheese to contaminated spices, cooking oil, meat and bottled water.

In Pakistan, a most dangerous public health emergency has unfolded gradually, almost invisibly, inside kitchens and marketplaces, the report said.

It cited a recent judicial observation that brought the issue into public view, as The Lahore High Court called the situation a “horrifying picture,” when denying bail to an accused caught transporting 2,400 litres of adulterated milk.

The report cited Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority findings that formalin and excessive phosphate were present in every milk sample tested in Karachi, rendering products unfit for human consumption, the report further said.

Formalin, commonly used as an industrial preservative, is particularly alarming given its known health risks, it noted.

The report flagged that water, detergents, vegetable fats, urea, formalin, and other chemicals are routinely added to milk.

"The scale and persistence of this problem point not to isolated criminal acts, but to systemic regulatory failure," the report said.

It also flagged the widespread availability of counterfeit and substandard food products manufactured by unlicensed and unregistered producers, imitating brand names, packaging, and visual appearance of popular items. These products are displayed prominently even in major retail stores.

The report also highlighted unsafe and unhygienic practices throughout the supply chain, from farms to retail outlets raising risks of gastrointestinal disorders, liver and kidney damage, weakened immunity, and increased susceptibility to disease.

“Perhaps the most troubling aspect of Pakistan’s food adulteration crisis is how normalised it has become. Consumers often assume that what they buy is unsafe and adjust their expectations accordingly,” it noted.

The media house said that occasional crackdowns are just reactive and short-lived, triggered by court interventions or media attention.

"Penalties imposed on offenders are frequently too lenient to deter repeat violations, effectively becoming a manageable cost of doing business," it flagged.

—IANS

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