112,000kg of hazardous food seized in Ramazan crackdown: report

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety & Halal Food Authority on Thursday said that over 10,000 inspections were carried out and 112,000 kilograms of hazardous and non-compliant food were seized during Ramazan.

In its performance report, the authority said that Rs15 million fines were imposed and 25 businesses were sealed due to serious violations of food safety regulations during the drive.The report said that the crackdown targeted the adulteration mafia and businesses involved in the sale of unsafe food products. The operations not only involved the disposal of contaminated food items but also imposed heavy penalties for hygiene violations, it added.

The detailed report revealed that the largest number of inspections took place in Peshawar, where 1,682 inspections were conducted, resulting in the confiscation of 31,242 kilograms of substandard food. Similarly, 883 inspections in Mardan, 559 inspections in Abbottabad, 593 inspections in Bannu, 596 inspections in Swat, 556 inspections in Mansehra, and 512 inspections in Haripur led to the destruction of 49,485 kg, 10,715 kg, 1,099 kg, 7,578 kg, 2,460 kg, and 4,030 kg of hazardous food, respectively.

During the operations, it said, 2,201 food samples, including milk, beverages, cooking oil, ghee, spices, and other food items, were tested using the Mobile Food Testing Lab. The results showed that 1,904 samples met the required standards, while 297 samples failed.

KP Minister for Food Zahir Shah Toru praised the KP Food Authority’s successful operations and reiterated the government’s commitment to eliminating substandard and unsafe food practices in the province.“We will ensure the eradication of all businesses involved in selling unsafe food, and there will be no compromise when it comes to the health and safety of our citizens,” Toru added.