Recent reports published by the Sindh government’s food regulator say that over 55% of milk samples in Karachi are adulterated with harmful chemicals. That is an astoundingly high figure, softened only by the fact that the rate has actually come down over the past decade. But the fact that such a large share of the city’s milk supply appears to be adulterated should also serve as a reminder of the need to improve prosecution and raise penalties for people selling tainted or adulterated food items.
While the immediate response of a crackdown and sealing shops is necessary, it is a reactive and insufficient solution. The problem is systemic. Pointing to skyrocketing costs of fodder, dairy farmers argue that economic desperation fuels these unethical practices and claim that if they could sell for higher prices, they would not need to tamper with quality.
A lasting solution requires moving beyond temporary raids. The government must establish a robust and transparent monitoring system from farm to table. Simultaneously, it must address the root causes by supporting the dairy industry with sustainable policies, ensuring farmers receive a fair price, and facilitating the availability of affordable feed.
Even though milk samples were tainted with everything from water, sugar and salt, to detergent and dangerous chemicals, the sellers of potentially poisonous milk face almost no criminal penalties. If the government really wants to stop people from selling such milk, it must ensure that law enforcement intervenes and throws the book at these unscrupulous vendors.
Even the ‘lesser’ adulterants can cause serious gastrointestinal issues and long-term damage to vital organs like the kidneys and liver. Vendors must be tried not just for violating food safety laws, but for knowingly poisoning every one of their customers. Only by attaching serious consequences to a relatively low-profit scam will the government discourage criminal vendors. The health of millions, particularly our children, cannot be held hostage to negligence and criminal profiteering.
