Food mafia fills KP bellies

PESHAWAR:

Excessive consumption of unhealthy food by majority of teenagers and youth across the country is adversely affecting their health, exposing them to fatal ailments like obesity, piles, allergies and stomach disorders. Like in other parts of the country, unchecked consumption of junk and expired food like burgers, shawarma, chicken rolls, chips and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa too often leads to casualties in medical clinics and hospitals.

Faraz Khan, 24, a youth from Wapda Town in Nowshera was a recent example of this dilemma as he felt severe pain in his stomach due to irritable bowel syndrome and piles a few days ago. He was rushed to a government hospital in Pabbi where doctors operated on him to cure the ailment.

The doctors found that eating too much spoiled chicken, which is mainly used in shawarmas, chicken rolls, chips, snacks and burgers, along with low-fat yogurt and cheese, and fatty foods and drinks high in carbohydrates, were the main causes of ailments in patients like Faraz.

He wasn’t alone. Thousands of other students at colleges and schools across Kansas City were exposed to unhealthy junk food sold openly outside educational institutions in cities and towns.

There are numerous shops and food stalls in Qissa Khwani bazaar, Namak Mandi, Karimpura, Charsadda Road, Faqirabad, Tehkal, Board bazaar, Lateeef Abad, Hayatabad, Warsak Road, Dalazak Road, Chamkani, GT Road and other places. Mostly they sell unsafe dishes and expired food items.

Professor Dr Ata Muhammad of Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar said that Pakistan, like many other countries, is struggling with overweight, piles and obesity, especially among students and school children who eat excessive amounts of unhygienic and substandard food.

Dr. Ata Muhammad termed these conditions as the fifth leading cause of death in the world and said that obesity contributes to about 60-70% of deaths, besides non-communicable diseases across the world, including Pakistan.

“The number of children and adolescents aged five to 19 years with obesity worldwide has increased from 11 million in 1975 to 124 million in 2016, due to excessive consumption of unhealthy junk food,” he said, citing a WHO report.

He called obesity a silent killer and said that about 30 percent of the world’s population is overweight. That means that 44 percent of the world’s population suffers from diabetes, 23 percent from heart disease and 7 to 41 percent from cancer.

“Pakistan ranks 10th among 188 countries with about 50 percent of its population being overweight or obese,” Dr. Ata said while quoting a report by the World Obesity Foundation. He revealed that about 5.4 million school children in the country would be obese by 2030 if the open sale and production of unsafe food is not properly checked.

In addition to the new food trends, the marketing campaign through various media, especially social media, was also seen as an important reason why more and more young people are eating these unhealthy foods.

Professor Dr. Naeem Khattak, an economist at the University of Peshawar, believes that large-scale social media campaigns are a major factor in attracting youngsters to unhealthy junk food. “These media are unfortunately luring youngsters, who form about half of our population, towards such food.”

Dr Sirzamin Khan, Head of Urology Department at Govt Hospital Pabbi, also noted that data from various hospitals has shown that 40 to 50 per cent of children are overweight or obese. “Policymakers and the KP Health Commission need to take urgent measures to prevent this. Lack of attention of parents towards the nutritional needs of children, publicity about various unhealthy food items on digital and social media and their uncontrolled sale and restricted sporting events have largely contributed to such ailments,” he said.

These doctors have recommended a healthy, balanced and home-made diet in addition to sports, daily exercises and walks, as well as regulating the sale of standard food products. Meanwhile, the spokesperson of KP Food Safety and Halal Food Authority (KPFS&HFA) has claimed that the operation against unsafe and substandard food vendors has been accelerated across the province as more than 136,690 inspections were carried out last year and 539,982 kilograms and liters of substandard food products were destroyed.

“Thousands of litres of counterfeit drinks and adulterated milk were also thrown away,” he said, reiterating the government’s resolve to show zero tolerance towards those involved in sale and purchase of adulterated and unhealthy food. “Mobile food testing laboratories with latest testing equipment have been established at all divisional headquarters,” he informed. “These laboratories cover a gamut of food testing including spot testing of milk, flour, edible oil, ghee, water and other food items. The government is also planning to set up such laboratories at the district level.” The authority, constituted under the KP Food Safety Authority Act, 2014, is also hiring volunteers besides the permanent staff to monitor food safety and quality standards, the spokesperson said.