Over 4,000kg of substandard gur seized in Mardan

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority (KP FS&HFA) confiscated over 4000 kilograms of substandard and fake jaggery (gur) from a local factory in Mardan on Thursday.

The raid was conducted near Mohib Banda Road and the Food Safety team caught the factory workers red-handed while producing fake jiggery (gur).

The food handlers were mixing substandard sugar, chemicals and non-food grade colours in the production of the jaggery.

The Food Safety team confiscated over 2000 substandard jaggery, over 1000 kilograms of sugar, along with chemicals and non-food grade colours during the raid. Spokesperson KP FS&HFA Qaisar Khan said the substandard jaggery from the unit used to be supplied to various parts of Mardan city.

He added that the unit was established inside a house, where unhealthy and substandard ingredients were being used for the production of fake and unhealthy jaggery.

All the unhealthy jaggery and tools used for its production during the raid were confiscated.

The Food Safety team sealed the unit, while strict legal action would be taken against the culprit.

Meanwhile, various Food-related businesses were also inspected in Swat. During the inspection of a unit in Matta, over 550 kilograms of substandard and unhealthy jaggery was confiscated from a shop. The Food Safety team sealed the shop over the violation of Food Safety SOPs. Similarly, banned China salt was confiscated from another shop during the inspection, on which the shop was sealed and a heavy fine was imposed against the owner.

In Buner district, the deputy commissioner inaugurated and inspected a mobile food testing laboratory.

He appreciated KP Food Safety and Halal Food Authority for its role in ensuring the provision of safe and healthy food to the people.