Experts Warn Of Sulphonamides In Chicken Feed, Suggest Consumption Of Over 2kg Weight

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Nov, 2018 ) :After Supreme Court's stern action to ban use of steroids in dairy farming, to fetch more milk from livestock, the health experts on Thursday stressed to stop this lethal practice in poultry chickens, using sulphonamides for their quick growth.� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � They said antibiotics and chemical drugs are being used extensively to grow broiler chicken in a short span of 35-40 day.� � �Health expert Dr. Waseem Malik of Alshifa Hospital said use of sulphonamides in chickens feed was causing respiratory and gastrointestinal infections and affecting children's growth.

"These sulphonamides could lead to sudden heart failure and produce tumours, toxicity on thyroid gland and hypersensitivity reactions" he said.

� Malik warned that even a well-cooked meat contains unhygienic substance due to the usage of certain chemicals.

He suggested for monitoring antibiotic residues in food animals so maximum limits could be set in our country.

And every chicken meat must be cooked at minimum150F which is unfortunately not observed in food outlets to serve the meal in a hurry.

� � Another Health expert Dr Aslan Javed Munir said these steroids in broiler chicken remain in our body for a long time which may lead from headache to cancer.

He said cooking at a temperature of at least 165� F may reduce side effects caused by sulphonamides but it must not be kept open for hours and soon be refrigerated for later consumption.

Javed also suggested for proper cleansing of chicken meat as it also carries germs and chemicals and usage of above 2 kg chicken was a safer option as it reaches its mature age of growth.

A poultry owner Sarfraz Khan said that increased demand of boiler chicken has now revolutionized the production method so the feed being used for their growth was as per modern trends.

He further claimed that they buy poultry feeds from the market and there was no reality that something harmful was being served to the chickens.

/rpt