Lays Chips, Junaid Jamshed & Ulema; A never ending controversy
05 Jul 2009 6 Comments
in Current Affairs, Health, Pakistan Tags: E631, Halal, haram, jamia ashrafia, Junaid Jamshed, Lays, Lays Chips, Lays TVC, Pakistan, pig fat, Ulema
Lays has been facing the prevalent and incensed crisis ever struck a food product in Pakistan. The issue of using E631 flavor enhancer and pig fat has really declined the sales and image of Lays. It has become a favorite brand in no time when introduced in Pakistan. The recent addition to the story was Junaid Jamshed endorsing the brand for the first time. He urges people to eat lays as he found that they are HALAL. Daily Ummat has published around 12 stories about the Product and created hype for it insisting that Lays are Haram. After Junaid’s appearance in the advertisement, they had published a new story on Lays saying that not every bearded man is a scholar and condemn his act of declaring the product Halal.
Now my point is this;
If Jamia Ashrafia issued the product a Halal certificate already, why the debate is still ongoing?
If Jamia Ashrafia is not authorized to issue a FATWA or declare any edible product halal, why the certificate issued?
How could Lays prove that there is no haram ingredient in the chips?
How could Lays prove that there is no haram ingredient in the chips?
And many questions like this. I haven’t seen any blog post or article in favor of the product. All of them are criticizing only Lays and Pepsi. It is human psychology to address controversial issues more than a non controversial. Is it as easy to convince a nation by just saying some haram ingredient is used in it?
Lays TVC Parody
I urge all Ulema, government and Pakistanis to reach a consensus on the issue as soon as possible. Please don’t play with the beliefs of people and mislead them by spreading disinformation of any kind. Government has to play its part now to declare the product as halal because it is the responsibility of government in an Islamic to ensure provision of HALAL food products. They must interrogate the matter and let the public know whether it is haram or not.
If found Haram Lays should be banned in the country and if not Lays should sue all the people who are involved in the controversy.
Originally written for PakFactor.com
Lays halal Certificate
29 May 2009 Leave a Comment
in Current Affairs, Health, Pakistan, Uncategorized Tags: E631, haram or halal, Lays, lays certificates, pig fat
Irresistable Mangoes
28 May 2009 Leave a Comment
in Health, Pakistan Tags: Mango, Pakistan, summer fruit
Mangoes are the most widely eaten fruit in South Asia and some other parts of the world and are one of the top sources of Vitamin A and also have a good amount of essential minerals. The mango is indigenous to the Subcontinent Cultivated in many tropical regions and distributed widely in the world, mango is one of the most extensively exploited fruits for food, juice, flavor, fragrance and color, making it a common ingredient in new functional foods often called superfruits.
Experts maintain that mango is some sort of comfort food, imparting deep psychological satisfaction, because of their stomach soothing properties, due to the presence of an enzyme. Although at the start of season, mangoes are available in small numbers in the markets. But in coming days, all the markets would be flooded with huge varieties.
The most popular varieties of Mangoes in Pakistan are Sindhri, Saharni, Langra, Dusehri, Neelam, Bangapali, Alphanso and Chaunsa. The fruit has arrived early this summer and now being enjoyed by all.
Lays Chips Haram or Halal
25 May 2009 8 Comments
in Current Affairs, Health, Pakistan Tags: E631, Lays Chips, Pig fat in Lays
I had a conversation with Lays official and they provided some proofs that in any way Lays are not HARAAM. Without adding any comment myself I am going to post the whole conversation in Question answer manner so that one can understand it better. I will not repeat the previously written info but for your ease I would like to mention that about E631 code web provides the info that it can be of animal origin and somewhere it is written that it can be of both plant or animal origin. The lays official said that they are getting the supply of this E631 from IFF Thailand , which obtains it from a plant called Cassava that yields tapioca starch. Now my questions and Lays Pakistan’s answer for your review.
* E627 and E631 salts are originated from ANIMALS as everywhere on web. Can you justify its plant origin?
* E627 and E631 is not necessarily originated from animals, there are a lot of references available on the internet, books etc. As you know that we are getting Masala flavour from IFF and E631 is one ingredient of that flavour, IFF is buying this ingredient from Ajinomoto Ltd.
o Please visit Ajinomoto’s website (for reference see attached ppt).
o Also see book reference
o IFANCA (largest halal certifying body) website and Sodium Inosinate (E631) is not included in Haram or doubtful list.
o Indian website, see E631 suitability for vegetarians as it can be obtained from plant source
* On web the mentioned CASSAVA plant, is a thickening agent not a flavor enhancer? Cassava, also called manioc, mandioc or yuka, is an edible tropical plant that yields tuberous roots from which cassava flour, tapioca (laundry starch), or even an alcoholic beverage can be derived.
* Tapioca Tapioca is a flavorless, colorless, odorless starch extracted from the root of the plant species Manihot esculenta (cassava)?
* Tapioca starch if being used itself, then it would perform function as thickening agent, basically its being widely used as replacement of expensive starches e.g. corn, potato starch etc in different products. However if we talk about Ajinomoto ltd. they are biotechnological converting Tapioca starch into different products like E631. I can further send you details and process flows if you required.
* It has been on a site that E631 and E627 are problem Additives. Some additives have specific effects to watch out for – such as ribonucleotides (E627, E631, E635) which tend to cause rashes (“ribo rash”), or aspartame (E951) which tends to have MSG-like effects and cause depression?
* Ribonucleotide never means Rashes or anything cause rashes, Ribo is a sugar part of Ribonucleotide which gives energy only, please consult any chemistry/biochemistry fundamental book. Its never banned in any part of the world, however many non government authorities has advised to reduce its usage, like many websites would advise you to reduce sugar and common salt intake. Hence E631 is approved in every food law all over the world like common salt and sugar. (by the way, we are merely adding below 0.00% — means its already below two decimals — nothing harmful).
* Daily Ummat has been publishing this story whole week. Are you suing them?
* We can’t stop any one to write against us, however people should contact us for clarification if required.
Attached also find comments from SANHA (a well reputed Halal certification body) about our products and current issue of hoax emails, you can contact them to get further details.
If you still have questions, please write to Lays Pakistan at pak.customerservice@intl.pepsico.com instead of being affected by rumors.
PCSIR ( Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research ) Labs. Complex, Lahore has analyzed only the fat contents of extracted from the Lays chips and the results showed that it was not of animal origin.
PCSIR has given only the statement about source of fat used for frying and nothing else. They have not worked on E631. Lays chips is not included in the list of 20 mandatory items of food published by PSQCA.
From all above statements it has been proved that Lays Pakistan is using Halal Sodium inosinate obtained from Plant cassava. It is also an ingredient approved by Ajinomoto international.
Shisha: A serious health risk
06 May 2009 Leave a Comment
in Health Tags: Health, shisha, smoking
In my childhood we used to spent our summer holidays with grand parents in Punjab. There was a custom there to smoke hookah, which we never saw in Karachi. It was a strange yet interesting observation for us to see how people were enjoying it. Later on I came to know that it contains tobacco and it is a serious risk for health.
Recently I saw a glamorized version of this traditional hookah which I was familiar with, called Shisha or water pipe. My neighbors have a strawberry flavored shisha which their son use in BBQ parties. When I heard of it I asked my husband if it is just flavored smoke can I have it? He replied that may be next time you can try it. When I researched about this new trend amongst youngsters I came across shocking news that most of the people including my husband don’t know that it is a serious risk for health. People consider it just flavored smoke but it is not as simple. Dr Javaid Khan, Professor and consultant Chest Physician of Agha Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan had a research report about it.
Shisha also known as Hookah, Water Pipe or Narghile is known to man kind for over 300 years. Shisha offers a mixture of crude types of tobacco fermented with molasses and fruits and the sweet odour of fruits conceals the natural smell of tobaccos tar and nicotine. A large number of school and college students of both genders hang at Shisha houses for smoking as don’t face any hurdle there to satiate their desire. It has been claimed that more than 100 million people worldwide smoke shisha daily. It is a common practice in the Middle East, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and some Parts of China. In some parts of Middle East, Shisha use is more prevalent than cigarette smoking. Among Arab women in many countries, there is less of a stigma associated with Shisha than with cigarette smoking and therefore more and more women are taking up this habit as a fashion.
Scientific studies done to see the adverse health consequences of shisha smoking point to dangers that are similar to those associated with cigarette smoking. The research conducted on Shisha use has clearly shown that it has particularly serious health consequences on 2 vital organs of body namely the lungs and heart. Lung Cancer, Cancers of the Food Pipe, Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, Emphysema, low birth weight, precipitation of Asthma attacks and pneumonia are some of the health hazards associated with shisha smoking.
Additional dangers not encountered with cigarette smoking are infectious diseases resulting from pipe sharing and the frequent addition of alcohol or psychoactive drugs to the tobacco. Another worrying aspect of shisha epidemic is that previously it was used in countries like Pakistan and India, mainly by the elderly people living in the villages but in the past few years its use has markedly increased in the urban areas of this subcontinent. Many restaurants in urban areas are now offering Shisha to their customers.
Smoke from Shisha besides others contains hundreds of potentially dangerous heavy metals like, Arsenic, Cobalt, Chromium and Lead. Under normal Shisha use the smoke produced from a single pipe use contain approximately the same amount of Nicotine and Tar equivalent to 20 Cigarettes. Research has also shown that after 45 minutes of Shisha use expired air, carbon monoxide, plasma nicotine and heart rate are significantly elevated. Nicotine dependence may also result from repeated inhalation of tobacco smoke from Shisha. Besides Lung Cancer Shisha use is also linked with increased risk of, Mouth and Urinary Bladder Cancer.
There is an urgent need to educate the public against the dangers of the Shisha use. Our religious scholars as well as non-governmental organizations should come forward and educate the public against the Shisha epidemic which is rapidly spreading in not only in the Muslims countries but also in the developed world. Special seminars should be held in schools warning the children against the dangers of Shisha use. Government must also bring laws restricting restaurants owners serving Shisha to its customers.water-pipe tobacco should be subjected to the same regulations as cigarette and other tobacco products. Besides creating awareness about the health hazards of pipe smoking, Pakistan needs to broaden the scope of the Tobacco Control Programme to encompass water-pipe smoking as well.
Swine Flu & Pharmaceutical Company of India
05 May 2009 Leave a Comment
in Health Tags: Fluvir, H1N1, India, Roche, Swine flu
An Indian pharmaceutical company claims that it can increase its production of antiviral drug named “FLUVIR” or “Tamiflu” to combat swine flu. Hetero Drugs Limited in Hyderabad India is the only supplier in India licensed by Swiss-based Roche to manufacture this flu drug.
Roche is working closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Governments around the world to make the oral antiviral medication Tamiflu available to patients in need following the increased reports of outbreaks of swine flu. The WHO and US CDC report Tamiflu is active against this new swine flu virus A (H1N1).
Roche can produce 400 million treatments of Tamiflu over a 12-month period, said James Smith, the drugmaker’s medical leader for Tamiflu, in an interview. “Production capacity now basically outstrips demand.”
Roche had Tamiflu sales totaling 609 million Swiss francs ($527 million) in 2008, according to the company’s annual report.
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