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Caretaker KP CM appreciates Food Authority’s performance

By Mushtaq Yusufzai
June 12, 2018

PESHAWAR: Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (Retd) Dost Mohammad on Monday appreciated the performance of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority for ensuring safe food to the people.

He expressed the appreciation as he visited the authority's head office in Peshawar. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Additional Chief Secretary Shehzad Bangash, who is also chairman of the authority, and Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Zahid Shinwari were also present.

The chief minister visited various sections of the newly established office and met the staff. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority Director General Riaz Khan Mehsud briefed him about the authority's establishment, operations and future plans.

The chief minister appreciated achievements of the authority in a short span of three months and hoped they would further improve and accelerate their operations. "I am impressed by the performance of KP Food Authority. It has done a good job within a short span of time," the chief minister said.

He said he was confident that KP Food Authority under its head Riaz Khan Mehsud would improve and expand its jurisdictions in the province and lay hand on those feeding unhealthy food items to the people. "What you are doing is great, but I will suggest if Riaz Khan and his team could also chase those unseen faces producing unsafe ingredients being used in different food like kebab. It will be better if those evil forces can be traced instead of kebab sellers and food being sold on pushcarts," said Dost Mohammad Khan.

He said every year billions of rupees were being spent on health and much of the amount could be saved and spent on other crucial sectors if people were given safe food and clean drinking water. In his view, hospitals were flooded with patients all the time due to adulterated food being sold to people in the market.

The chief minister said usually when a new department like KP Food Authority was raised, people's reaction initially was not very friendly but with the passage of time they realized responsibilities and accept the law.

"I wish our traders and business community could think before selling anything to others, particularly food items. They should think if what's they are going to sell to other people is safe for their own children," he told the participants.

The chief minister advised authority chief to launch awarding the traders with prizes of cash and shields for good performance. Riaz Khan Mehsud said the authority established under the KP Food Safety and Halal Food Authority Act 2017, aimed at formulating standard, procedures, processes and guidelines for food labelling, food additives and additional food-related enforcement. He said the Safety and Halal Food Authority Act 2017, was passed in March 2017 and they were given the task in November 2017.

"We took the start from the scratch and within three months made regulations, set up this head office, and established offices in seven divisional headquarters. And on March 2018, we launched operations," said Riaz Mehsud. SCCI president Zahid Shinwari appreciated the KP Food Authority work.