Excessive trans-fat found in 26 samples of banaspati ghee

The findings of a Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) report revealed excessive levels of trans fats in 26 samples out of 491, with some reaching 15.87 grams per 100 grams against the prescribed limit of 2 grams, along with deficiencies in essential vitamins and other quality problems in ghee, cooking oils and milk products.

Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal chaired a meeting of the National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC) to review a report by the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) on banaspati ghee, cooking oils and milk products.R

Report was based on about 491 samples collected from locations identified by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics across all provinces.

The PCSIR testing report found excessive levels of trans fats in 26 samples of banaspati ghee, reaching up to 15.87 grams per 100 grams against the PSQCA limit of 2 grams per 100 grams.

The tests also identified excessive peroxide values in 22 samples and elevated free fatty acids in 15. Vitamin A was absent from 46 samples, while some products showed signs of rancidity and excessive moisture.

Blended cooking oil also showed quality problems. Vitamin A was not detected in 26 samples, while four samples had excessive peroxide levels. The highest recorded value was 76.71, against a prescribed limit of 10.

Three of the four refined palm olein samples tested were found to be non-compliant.

The proportion of banaspati ghee samples failing to meet standards varied considerably across Pakistan.

Balochistan recorded the highest rate at 79.4 percent, followed by Sindh at 63.3 percent, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 58.3 percent, Punjab at 15.9 percent and Islamabad Capital Territory at 5.5 percent.

For blended cooking oil, 47.7 percent of samples tested in Sindh and 46.6 percent in Balochistan were found to be non-conforming.

All refined palm olein samples tested in Sindh and Balochistan failed to meet the required standards.

The milk testing also raised concerns. All 26 non-conforming packaged liquid milk samples had milk-fat levels below the prescribed standard, while all eight non-conforming milk powder samples had insufficient protein levels.

Some milk powder samples also failed to meet requirements for fat and total ash.

The Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal said the findings were a cause for serious concern and called for immediate action by regulatory authorities.

Ahsan Iqbal said high levels of trans fats and the absence of essential vitamins represented more than simple nutritional deficiencies, warning that poor-quality food could have serious implications for public health.

He said testing should not be limited to milk and ghee, suggesting that spices and other food products could also reveal significant quality problems.

He also directed the relevant regulatory authorities to take immediate enforcement measures and stressed the need to establish a comprehensive national framework for food quality, quantity assurance and safety.