Contaminated fruits: Make testing kits easily available
I am glad the fuss about contaminated fruit and vegetables is continuing. I am a passionate admirer and consumer of both in this dear country!
Having heard that a particular supermarket was particular about not selling contaminated fruit and vegetables, I peered at their bananas. “Are these chemical free?” I asked. “Yes,” said the young assistant. “How do you know?” I demanded. “Because I checked them this morning!” he said with a smile. “How?” I asked.
A few days later, one of the managers showed me a little cardboard box with some liquid in a bottle that you paint on to the skin of the item and it tells you if it has had a chemical on it. “Is it expensive?” I asked. “No,” he laughed.
If a youngster employed by Rahimafrooz can check what he sells every day, why cannot government inspectors do the same in markets round the country, even dabbing at items in trucks that they stop on the roads? This is not rocket science - though it does demand the integrity of officers who do not receive a bribe and wave the vehicle on….(Maybe that's the equivalent of rocket science here…)
Better still, can government subsidise cost-only kits that can be on sale in shops and encourage us customers to buy and use them ourselves. That would tell the business that we are serious!
Even better, get the kids involved and sell them through schools! “Mummy, the mangoes you bought yesterday were not chemical-free!” Now there's pressure!
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