Sindh Government has notified Terms of References (ToRs) for Sindh Food Authority (SFA) as well as its composition to regulate food business in the province. A notification issued from Sindh Chief Secretary's office stated Sindh Food Minister would head SFA that would be comprised of members from government and private sector.
The TORs of the authority states it will regulate and monitor food business in order to ensure provision of safe food. It would formulate standards, procedures and guidelines in relation to different aspects of food including food business, food labeling, food-additive and appropriate enforcement systems.
The SFA would specify procedures and guidelines for setting up and accreditation of food laboratories and formulate method of sampling, analysis of samples and reporting of results. It would also specify licensing, prohibition orders, recall procedures, improvement notices and prosecution for food business and would determine terms and conditions of service of its employees.
The SFA would provide scientific advice, technical support to government in matters to relating to foods and collect and analyze relevant scientific and technical data to food.
Authority would establish a system of network food operators and consumers to facilitate food safety and quality control and organize training programmes in food safety and standards. It would also levy fee for registration, licensing and other services and would certify food for export. It would perform any other function as prescribed by rules and regulations.
With Sindh Food Minister as its head, SFA will have Secretary Health as vice chairman and Secretary Food as convener while Sindh Secretaries for; Culture and Tourism; Agriculture; Supply and Prices; Livestock and Fisheries; Social Welfare; Local Government; Public Health Engineering as its members. Besides, three members of provincial assembly Mahesh Kumar Malani, Muhammad Javed and Humayun Muhammad Khan, one representative each from chamber of commerce and industry; Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Karachi; food operators; food industry; consumers would be its members. SFA chairman is empowered to include others if deemed necessary.
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