There is a widespread complaint that Pakistani sugar has lost its sweetness. Nowadays, at least five teaspoons of sugar may be required to sweeten a cup of tea as against one teaspoon before.

Some people believe that sugar is being mixed with a white chemical which looks just like sugar and that a consumer even with a sharp eye cannot make out any difference between genuine sugar and the grains of the white chemical.

It is also being said that some politicians are responsible for this. They are mixing thousands of tonnes of this chemical with sugar and making profits worth millions.

I think the World Health Organisation should look into this important matter. They should also determine if the culprit grain is carcinogenous or it has no ill effects on human health.

Although their probe will not give back Pakistani sugar its sweetness, it will set the anxiety of the consumers at rest.

Azmat Ansari
Karachi