Islamabad:
On Tuesday, the subcommittee of the parliamentary caucus of women (WPC) called Tuesday to the ban on junk food and soft drinks in schools, citing the alarming classification of Pakistan as the first world country for diabetes.
The panel, chaired by Zahra Wadood Fatemi, said that women’s health was directly linked to the well-being of whole families and stressed the need for strict measures to slow down sugar consumption.
The legislators have described sugar as a “silent killer” and warned against the health risks of canned and packaged foods, which have been widely consumed despite their harmful effects.
The members of the subcommittee proposed to prohibit junk food, packaged foods and carbonated drinks in households and apply more strict regulations on canteens of private schools, similar to restrictions on public schools.
They recommended to request the contribution of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) or the Regulatory Authority for Private Education Establishments (PEIRA) to establish directives for canteen operations in private schools.
