KABUL (SW) – A number of Kabul residents complain about the sale of expired food by some shopkeepers in the city causing health issues, especially among children.
Qayyum, a resident of Taimani area of Kabul city, told Salam Watandar that 20 days ago, his son fell ill due to the use of expired drink. He added: “I bought a juice from the store, I didn’t realize that its date had passed. When my son drank this juice, he got diarrhea. I spent nearly five thousand afghanis and he was hospitalized for three nights until he recovered.”
Palwasa, a resident of Pul Surkh district of Kabul city, said that she bought canned fish two weeks ago and when she opened the lid of the can at home, she was faced with rotten ingredients. According to her, when she looked at the date on the can, she realized that its date has passed.
Residents of Kabul want the authorities to stop the sale of food and other out-of-date items.
Haseebullah, a resident of Darul Aman, Kabul, said that outdated food is sold in many shops and even supermarkets in the city. He added: “I bought a kilo of milk from the supermarket a week ago. I didn’t see it in the store, when I brought it home, I saw that three months had passed since its expiry day, so I took it back. Action should be taken against the sale of outdated materials so that they are not sold.”
However, a number of shopkeepers also consider it unfair to sell outdated materials to citizens. Samir, a shopkeeper in Shah-e-Nau, Kabul, said: “We don’t sell goods that are out of date. When it’s out of date, we recycle it or throw it in the trash. Some people are honest, they don’t do this.”
However, officials in Kabul Municipality say that in the last three months, they have collected more than three thousand kilograms of expired materials from different parts of Kabul city and this process is still going on.
Nematullah Barakzai, the spokesperson of Kabul Municipality, told Salam Watandar: “Those who sell outdated materials will be warned in the first step, and in the next steps, if they repeat, their shops will be sealed and then they will be referred to judicial institutions.”
Doctors believe that the use of outdated materials damages the digestive and immune systems of the body and causes a person to suffer from cancer and other diseases.
Farid Rafiei, a doctor in Kabul city, said: “When the time of materials passes, the materials change their nature and their chemical compositions are disturbed. Dangerous microbes grow in them that enter the body, damages the stomach and then other body systems such as respiratory, nervous, heart and blood circulation systems.”
ENDS
