Milk matters | Political Economy

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Akistan is at an important confluence in his fight against malnutrition and children’s stunts. It calls for a decisive action, especially in the realm of food safety and nutrition. About 40 40.2 % of children under the age of five suffer from stunts, as highlights in the National Nutrition Survey 2018 organized by the UNICEF and the Government of Pakistan, it is clear that the nation is quietly tolerating the emergency of the public health. Stunting is not just poor development-it is a chronic form of deprivation that reflects inadequate nutrition, frequent infections and inadequate maternity and long-term effects of child care.

This crisis is not limited to low -income households. Stunting deductions in socio -economic groups, affects children in urban apartments as well as in rural areas. It suppresses academic development, reduces educational performance and limits development capabilities in the future. If stupid, nowadays stunting can be a network of poverty and productivity tomorrow.

Milk, which is globally recognized as one of a complete natural foods, is rich in calcium, protein, vitamin A, D, B12 and the necessary micronutrients. For children, it fuel physical development and brain growth. Adult IT, it supports bone health and immunity. But the kind of milk that is eaten is as important as its use. In Pakistan, there are two types of milk in the market that is sold to consumers – unsafe loose milk and safe packaged milk. Dangerously, about 95 % of the milk sold in Pakistan is loose milk, with no regulatory monitoring, quality assurance or cold chain handling.

In a nationwide survey of milk quality and safety, recently conducted by the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, 92 % of the loose samples of milk were non -compliance with quality and safety parameters. 54 % were found to be disqualified for human use. This loose milk is often mixed with water, detergent, harmful protectionists such as formaline. It is sometimes contaminated with pathogens that can cause typhoid, TB, diarrhea and hepatitis A.

On the contrary, the packaged milk farms manufactured by regulated dairy companies undergo rigorous testing, passage and quality control at every stage from the milk farm to the shelf. According to the World Health Organization, Pasurication is a proven way to eliminate pathogens and ensure micro -biological safety. The choice of packaged milk is not just about convenience – it’s about safe nutrition.

Protecting from hazardous loose milk, transfer to packaged milk is a strategic way to deal with malnutrition and ensure food safety for all.

Shakes often argue that packed milk on average is unbearable for Pakistani domestic. The truth is less easy. According to the National Health Accounts report, health expenditure in Pakistan was estimated at Rs 1,962 billion in the financial year 2021-22. This increased by Rs 496 billion compared to the financial year 2019-20, an increase of 33.8 % in nominal terms. Such an increase can be referred to with massive diseases that are linked to poor nutrition and food pollution. The price difference between the long -term costs of poor health, the price difference between loose and packaged milk is modest after losing school days and medical bills.

The informal milk sector, which dominates Pakistan’s milk supply, is not largely unorganized and non -check. It flourishes the implementation and the absence of public consciousness. From here, policy interference is not only relevant but also absolutely necessary. The government should regularly regulate unsafe milk regularly and slowly through a strict fines for standard inspection, licensing system and mixing. At the same time, the official players of the dairy should be encouraged to expand their distribution networks in lower areas through tax benefits, subsidies and infrastructure.

At the same time, the government should run a nationwide milk campaign that uses schools, religious leaders, health workers and media platforms to promote milk consumption as a fundamental right and need. In addition, milk should be integrated into school feeding programs as part of a national nutritional strategy that targets children under the age of five. These efforts should be designed not as a isolated intervention, but as an integrated, cross -ministerial food safety agenda.

This is not just a matter of food policy – it is a national security. A healthy, well -nurtured generation is the basis of economic growth, educational achievement and social stability. The solution is inside. Pakistan does not need to re-invent the wheels-it just needs to measure pre-working tasks. Protecting from hazardous loose milk, transfer to packaged milk is a strategic way to deal with malnutrition and ensure food safety for all.

Let us not allow a glass of milk to be nurtured to become a source of illness and developmental damage. For the future of our children and the progress of the country, it is time to make policy rules, and to raise awareness in each drop.

The author, a communications expert, maintains a keen interest in public policy, health and economy issues.