KP Food Authority Major Crackdown
Peshawar
On the directives of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Food Zahir Shah Toru, the KP Food Safety & Halal Food Authority has intensified its crackdown against substandard and hazardous food businesses across the province. In a series of operations conducted in Mardan, Haripur, Peshawar, and Lower Dir, food safety teams confiscated and disposed of large quantities of unhygienic chicken meat and milk, while two butchers were also sent to jail.
According to the spokesperson of the Food Authority, the Mardan food safety team inspected meat, fish, and chicken shops on Shamsi Road and in Par Hoti. During the inspection, over 350 kilograms of substandard frozen chicken was seized and destroyed. Additionally, a dairy shop was heavily fined for using chemical drums for milk storage.
Similarly, in Haripur, the food safety team, accompanied by the Assistant Commissioner, raided a chicken point and confiscated over 250 kilograms of substandard chicken and its parts. The contaminated stock was destroyed on the spot, while the shop owner was arrested. As per the details, the suspect had been sourcing low-quality chicken parts from other provinces and supplying them across Haripur.
Further details unveiled that in Peshawar, the inspection team recovred a container of adulterated milk at a warehouse in the Gulbahar area, which had been transported from Punjab. Laboratory tests confirmed that 300 liters of milk were substandard and unfit for consumption, leading to its immediate disposal. The warehouse owner was also slapped with a hefty fine.
According to details, in Lower Dir, the district administration, along with the food safety team, inspected a butcher shop where extremely poor hygiene conditions were observed. As a result, the meat and freezer were confiscated, and the shop owner was jailed. Additionally, in Asbanr Bazaar, a butcher was arrested for slaughtering an underage calf in violation of food safety regulations.
Director General of the Food Authority Wasif Saeed commended the food safety teams for their strict actions, stating that anyone endangering public health will be dealt with an iron hand.
Minister for Food Zahir Shah Toru reaffirmed that the crackdown against the adulteration mafia and those involved in selling hazardous food will continue without any leniency.
