990401

CPC seeks public

support against

sweet supari, gutka

KARACHI: Consumer Protection Council (CPC) of the Helpline Trust, Karachi, has appealed to parents and concerned citizens to support them in their ongoing campaign against sweet supari (betel nuts) and gutka.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday the CPC sources said that the parents, endorsing their view on the subject and desirous to participate and sponsor the campaign against "Sweet Poison", can contact the CPC office, Tel. No. 5889643-5.

Sweet supari and pan masala being extensively consumed by locals, particularly, by children, have been found to be manufactured under very unhygienic conditions, while some of the brands were also registered to contain "Addictive Drugs."

Though manufacturers of the products are earning huge profits and investing a lot on advertisements through electronic and print media. They, however, skip relevant taxes as well as utility bills for being categorised as cottage industries.

The CPC has already organised a seminar on "Hazardous Chemicals in Children's food" attended in large numbers by local doctors and scientists.

Keeping in view the hazardous effects of the menace, there is a growing demand for immediate ban on the products, which may not only enhance incidence rate of mouth, throat and stomach cancers among the local population, falling in much younger age groups but is also feared to turn the same to addiction.ÑAPP