Training held to enable food safety officers to check quality of edible oil

A training in food quality organised by the Sindh Food Authority (SFA) and Nutrition International provided food safety officers with skills for edible oil fortification and quality control, said SFA Director General Muzamil Hussain Halepoto in a media briefing.

He explained that the training session was successfully organised at a private hotel in Karachi through the collaboration of the SFA and Nutrition International. The training aimed to educate and equip food safety officers with essential knowledge on the use of edible oils and the prevention of substandard oil, ensuring the provision of safe and high-quality food products for the public.

The training agenda covered key topics such as edible oil fortification, best practices in sample collection, quality assurance principles and techniques for testing Vitamin A in edible oils. Addressing the participants of the training, Halepoto highlighted awareness provided by the Nutrition International regarding oil purification, importance of Vitamin A and D in edible oils, and principles to maintain these essential nutrients at safe levels.

The food safety officers from the SFA attended the training, where they received comprehensive instruction on identifying loose oils, understanding the harmful effects of reused oil on human health and learning the stages of robust packaging.

Halepoto stated loose edible oil continued to be sold in markets, posing significant health risks. He pointed out that the repeated reuse of the same oil exacerbated health risks and stressed that the SFA was taking concrete steps to curb the dangerous practice. There would be no compromise on food safety, he asserted.

He emphasised that around $7.8 billion was spent annually to address diseases caused by nutritional deficiencies. To combat this issue, the authority was also working in partnership with local non-government organisations, he remarked. He noted that the food authority currently had 45 active teams working across 30 districts in Sindh. He claimed that those teams were taking every possible step to safeguard public health.

Halepoto mentioned that the Sindh Food Authority was actively taking action against Ajinomoto due to its adverse effects on health, and recently seized five sacks of the substance in Hyderabad. He reaffirmed the commitment of the SFA to playing a key role in ensuring healthy food for the public, without any compromises.