QALAT (SW) – Residents of Zabul claim that sale of expired food by some shopkeepers has resulted in various diseases and raised problems.
24-years old Samiullah, a resident of Qalat city, center of Zabul, says that few days ago, he unknowingly bought outdated food and as result, he got sick. “It causes many problems such as hpylori in the stomach, all are caused by the consumption of inappropriate and outdated food. I got health issues myself due to consumption of such food”, he added.
Hasibullah, another resident of Qalat, also says that outdated medicines and food items are sold to customers in some pharmacies and shops. “Using of outdated food is a harm to society. We demand it from government to stop trading of such items.”
On the other hand, a number of shopkeepers in the city of Qalat say that the reason for the existence of outdated food is the lack of knowledge of the shopkeepers and the procurement of food close to the expiration date.
Lal Mohammad, a shopkeeper in this city, said: “The reason for this, as far as we know, is that most of the shopkeepers do not have general knowledge. They don’t know how to read and write and they don’t check the date, so the wholesalers distribute to retailers and they also sell the same way.”
However, the local officials of Zabul confirm the problem of outdated food in Qalat, but they say that once every six months, they collect and destroy outdated food by holding campaigns.
Latifullah Latifi, the mayor of Qalat, says that if a person is caught during selling of outdated food, he will be taken onto custody and his shop will be stamped closed. “The law of collecting outdated goods is such that we set up a campaign every six months. During the last six months, we have destroyed 15 to 16 tons of food and some other goods. If we see someone during this crime, we will arrest them and will close their shops,” he adds.
It should be mentioned that in addition to the residents of Zabul, residents in a number of other provinces are also facing similar problems.
ENDS
