KARACHI In its ongoing efforts to ensure the safety and quality of food and water across the province, the Sindh Food Authority (SFA) conducted two significant operations in Thatta and Karachi.
These actions have led to the seizure of 12,000 liters of unsafe cooking oil in Thatta and the sealing of 11 substandard Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants in Karachi.
In Thatta, the SFA team, under the supervision of Food Safety Officer Natasha alias Marium, carried out a successful raid on a distribution unit. During the raid, more than 12,000 liters of substandard and unsafe cooking oil were discovered.
This oil was being prepared for sale under local brand names in the market, posing a serious health risk to the public.
The Sindh Food Authority took immediate action to prevent this oil from reaching consumers, confiscating the entire stock. The distribution unit was also fined Rs. 500,000 for selling unfit and low-quality oil.
Director General of Sindh Food Authority, Muzamil Hussain Halepoto, commented on the action, saying, “The health of the public is our top priority. We will not tolerate anyone attempting to sell unsafe cooking oil.
This operation marks a significant step in protecting consumers from harmful products, and such actions will continue to ensure that only safe and quality products are available in the market.”
In a separate operation in Karachi, the SFA inspected RO plants in various locations across the South and East districts. During these inspections, it was found that several plants were not adhering to the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards for water quality. Serious violations were discovered at 11 RO plants, including excessive microbial contamination, rusted machinery, outdated filters, and poor sanitation of water storage tanks. Due to these critical issues, all 11 plants were sealed to prevent further risk to public health.
Speaking about the Karachi operation, Director General Halepoto stated that they are committed to ensuring that the water provided by RO plants meets international quality standards.
The conditions found in these plants were unacceptable, and we took immediate action by sealing them. We will continue our crackdown on substandard RO plants to safeguard public health.”
The Sindh Food Authority has inspected a total of 463 food business units and RO plants across the province. Of these, 233 units were found to be closed or relocated from their registered addresses, while 58 newly identified plants were also inspected.
The DG SFA said that the public is encouraged to report any issues related to substandard RO plants or adulterated food products to the Sindh Food Authority’s WhatsApp complaint number at 0330-0116533.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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