Loose milk sale to be banned in Punjab.

LAHORE -- Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has decided to ban sale of loose milk in Lahore and then implement the decision gradually across the province, sources told media on Tuesday.

According to sources, the PFA has decided to impose a ban on the sale of loose milk citing a number of reasons including presence of aflatoxin (a cancer-causing chemical) and lack of pasteurization (heating to a specified temperature and time to kill pathogens that may be found in the raw milk) recommended for sale of milk.

The authority is in talks with the various dairy farmers associations for packaging of milk and sources say that the decision will be implemented first in the province's capital (Lahore) and then gradually across the whole of Punjab.

It is pertinent to note here that in most developed countries, loose milk (sold in clean glass bottles) is also pasteurized according to given standards.

Milk and milk products provide a wealth of nutrition benefits. But raw milk, i.e., unpasteurized milk, can harbor dangerous microorganisms that can pose serious health risks to you and your family.

Raw milk that has not been pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria. Raw milk can carry dangerous bacteria such...