RAWALPINDI, Dec 16: Food scientists warned here on Saturday that provision of low quality food products to the consumers was undermining their confidence in eatables available in the market.

They were speaking at the inaugural session of a food conference, organised by Pakistan Food Society of Scientists and Technologists at the Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi.

Experts on the occasion said that the food industry was in infancy because it lacked modern technology. They said raw food material was in abundance in the country but the lack of advanced knowledge was a hurdle in creating the raw material into value added products blaming the sorry situation on the shortage of food scientists. It has a serious repercussions on the national economy, the added.

“The post harvest losses of agricultural products are touching 40 per cent because of poor utilisation, preservation and the packaging of food products is one of the most negligible areas in the food industry,” the said.

Speakers said that there was serious shortage of food across the globe and urged food scientists to play their role to minimise the shortage.

“Health hazards associated with the over-use of pesticides and poor packaging of food products are serious public concerns which made consumers shaky,” the scientists said.—Our Reporter