KARACHI: Director General Sindh Food Authority (SFA) Muzammil Halipoto, while referring to his recent discussions with Mayor Karachi, informed that KMC has agreed to provide a building in district East near Peoples Roundabout where the Food Authority will be establishing its second food testing laboratory.
“In addition to changing the culture at SFA, simplifying licensing procedure and fully facilitating businesses in dealing with SFA-related issues, we are also looking into the possibility of reducing the lab test charges so that the businesses could face minimum burden”, he added while speaking at a meeting during his visit to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI).
DG SFA categorically warned that there will be no leniency and heavy penalties will be imposed on sellers of foodstuff involved either in adulteration, selling foodstuff in an unhygienic environment or engaged in any other illegal activity. “We are completely focused on quality and safety which simply cannot be compromised as it is a matter of life and death.”
He said, “After assuming charge as DG SFA, I found that out of 30 districts in Sindh, SFA was inexistent in 14 districts. This issue was immediately addressed and now the SFA is present in all 30 districts of Sindh. During the last three months, I terminated five teams because of their negligence towards work which cannot be pardoned.”
Halipoto further informed that SFA carries out five to six thousand inspections every month wherein heavy penalties are only imposed when a business is found involved in adulteration. Heavy fines cannot be imposed by inspection teams who are authorised to impose fines of up to Rs50,000/- only but in case of severe violations, the inspection teams seek approval from higher authorities after submitting relevant evidence, he said, adding that SFA has not been formed for revenue generation but for ensuring availability of healthy and hygienic foodstuff to the public.
Commenting on concerns expressed over publicizing the information about businesses that leads to damaging the reputation, DG SFA stated that the Authority strictly maintains confidentiality of all its inspections and ensures that business details are not publicized at any stage. “We also make sure that the shop’s name is not visible in any of the photos or videos taken during the inspection which are posted on SFA’s website for public awareness.”
Replying to a question, he said PSQCA has no interference in the work being carried out by SFA which strictly takes action and carries out all its activities exactly as per the Authority’s Act. “If any PSQCA official visits your business premises, you may approach us for assistance and we will look into such matters.”
President KCCI Iftikhar Ahmed Sheikh, while welcoming DG SFA, stated that it has always been one of the top priorities of Karachi Chamber to play the role of a bridge between the business community and heads of numerous departments including SFA so that the grievances being faced by businesses could be thoroughly discussed and amicably resolved.
He was of the opinion that as the entire world was seriously focused on food safety and the provision of healthy food products, it must also be one of the top priorities for Pakistan as well; hence, this is where the Sindh Food Authority has an important role to play.
He mentioned that SFA requires businesses to register their packaged products by submitting a fee of Rs7,000 per product and 6 kg of product samples, totalling about Rs15,000 per product which was an excessive burden, especially for businesses offering a wide range of products. “PSQCA already handles product registration for 40 key items in Pakistan. Globally, only brands are registered, not individual products; hence, SFA’s requirement seems impractical.”
He said that SFA often imposes heavy fines for minor violations, with only 1-2 days for payment. Such practices create financial pressure on businesses, particularly small ones; therefore, fines should be more reasonable, with adequate time for compliance.
He stressed that Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) should be formulated collectively and in alignment with established best practices. Meanwhile, the inspections and penalties should be limited until the revised SOPs are finalised in consultation with stakeholders.
He said that this Chamber has received several reports of harassment and intimidation by SFA officials, including threats of immediate shutdowns. This goes against the SFA’s purpose which is to improve food standards and support reforms. The focus should be on collaboration and improvement, not heavy-handed enforcement.
He also suggested that during inspections, if any violations are found, they should not be publicized through media or social platforms. Efforts should be made to issue an improvement notice first but if improvements are not made, penalties should then be imposed.
KCCI Senior Vice President Altaf A Ghaffar, Vice President Tanveer Barry, Former Vice President Younus Soomro, KCCI Managing Committee Members, and other businessmen associated with food business also attended the meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024