DLP Report
PESHAWAR
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority (KPFS&HFA) on Thursday conducted a province-wide special inspection drive against bakeries, seizing and destroying thousands of kilograms of substandard food items and cooking oil.
According to a spokesperson, food safety teams inspected 232 bakery units across the province and confiscated 5,641 kilograms and litres of substandard and hazardous bakery products, cooking oil and ghee, which were discarded on the spot.
The authority also issued 52 improvement notices to food businesses over violations of hygiene standards, while fines amounting to approximately Rs1.7 million were imposed on several bakery units.
In Peshawar, food safety teams inspected various sweets and bakery outlets under the supervision of Director General Kashif Iqbal Jilani. During the operation, officials recovered and destroyed 200 litres of unsafe cooking oil and 300 kilograms of expired rusks and sweets, while one bakery unit was sealed.
Under the same campaign, the food safety team carried out an operation in Nowshera Industrial Estate, where 2,200 kilograms of expired and mislabelled bakery items were seized from a production unit that was subsequently sealed.
In Swat, officials recovered 115 kilograms of substandard bakery products from a bakery unit. The items were discarded on the spot, while fines were imposed and improvement notices were issued to the management.
The spokesperson said bakery units were also inspected in Dera Ismail Khan, Mardan, Abbottabad, Malakand, Charsadda, Buner, Mansehra, Swabi, Bannu, Lower Dir and Lower Chitral, where significant quantities of substandard bakery products were destroyed and penalties imposed for violations of food safety and hygiene regulations.
Meanwhile, the food safety team in Malakand intercepted a milk tanker during an early morning checkpoint at the Swat Motorway check post and seized 700 litres of adulterated milk, which was discarded on the spot. A fine was also imposed on the operator.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Jilani said eliminating food adulteration and substandard food businesses from the province was the authority’s mission.
He warned that no leniency would be shown towards those involved in food adulteration, terming them a serious threat to public health.
