Food Safety Authority sets up Emergency Response Unit

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety & Halaal Food Authority (KP FS&HFA) has set up a special “Emergency Response Unit” for Ramazan.

The KP FS&HFA has formulated a comprehensive action plan to further intensify crackdowns against food adulteration during Ramazan to ensure safe and quality food items to the people. Director General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety Authority Shah Rukh Ali Khan has said that the special “Emergency Response Unit will consist 29 teams comprised of Assistant Directors Food Safety and Food Safety Officers will perform their duties during Ramazan in 22 districts of the province. He added teams will work in three shifts so that those involved in adulteration could be made accountable. The director-general said the general public could also register their complaints regarding unhygienic conditions of food items, outlets and such premises with the authority.

The Food Safety Authority had said all the teams have been provided with rapid testing kits, through which the teams would analyse the quality of food items on the spot. Similarly, the quality of various food items would also be checked in the food testing lab. Shah Rukh Ali Khan said the Authority in the last three months has conducted massive operations against food adulteration, specifically targeting factories of fake beverages, substandard spices, ice cream and snacks. He said the authority had made a total of 39,688 Inspections of food-related businesses across the province, during which fines of around Rs 12 million were imposed. During the operations, 6,500 businesses were sealed, and 154,000kg, litres of unhealthy food items were discarded.