No chemical in packaged milk,University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences tells court
LAHORE:THE laboratory of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences told the Lahore High Court on Tuesday that no hazardous chemical was found in samples of packaged milk.
In a report, submitted before the court of Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, the laboratory said that it had checked the samples of packed milk randomly collected from different parts of the city and found no adulteration in them.
On the previous hearing, the judge had ordered a three-member committee to collect samples of packed milk and send to laboratories of the UVAS and the Punjab University to check if they contained hazardous chemicals.
On Tuesday, the UVAS submitted its report but the Punjab University did not file its report on the issue and the judge directed the PU authorities to present their report about packed milk.
The judge adjourned till May 29 further proceedings of a petition against the alleged sale of adulterated milk in the city.
The petition was filed by Dr Muhammad Yaqoob Bhatti, Central Executive Member of Watan Party Pakistan through Barrister Zafarullah Khan. The counsel contended that according to the data of the city district government, out of 19,718 samples of milk collected by the food department in the last five years, almost 17,529 samples were found adulterated. This means that 80 per cent the milk consumed by Lahorites was almost adulterated or contaminated.
The counsel relied upon a report published in a national daily on Feb-04, 2009 which stated that the dairy farms, milk supplying companies and other sources add various chemicals and unhygienic materials in the milk.
The report said the percentage of adulterants included urea or melamine (30 per cent), substandard cooking oil (70 per cent), powdered Singharas (water chestnuts) (40 per cent), unhygienic water (50 per cent), formalin, a chemical used by doctors to preserve human body (35 per cent), penicillin for enhancing the thickness and fragrance of milk (47 per cent), hair-removing powder (29 per cent) and zoonotic pathogens (27 per cent). The report said soda bicarbonate was used to improve the taste of milk, urea to lend it uniformity and melamine as protein booster.
NEWS
