KP Food Authority to ban unpacked spices

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority Monday announced ban on unpacked spices from March 20.

Director General of KP Food Authority Riaz Khan Mahsud urged the spices dealers to adopt the technology and introduce packing before the crackdown starts. He said unpacked spices were injurious to health and may cause a variety of diseases.

The director general added that last year the authority’s scientific committee had suggested the ban and proposed a one-year grace period to transform existing businesses to the approved mechanism.

He warned the dealers to introduce packing to improve the quality of their products. Director, Technical, KP Food Authority, Dr Abdul Sattar Shah, revealed that unpacked spices may contain Aflatoxin which causes cancer.

He added that unpacked spices cannot be traced in case of any complaint. The official said technically it was suggested that packing was the only solution to stop weather impact over the product. Director Operation Khalid Khattak said quarters concerned were informed and task assigned to the teams to conduct this massive crackdown.