Tag: Sindh Food Authority

  • Eatery owners knowingly ignore hygiene requirements: Sindh Food Authority

    Eatery owners knowingly ignore hygiene requirements: Sindh Food Authority

    KARACHI: Eatery owners are well aware about their shortcomings yet they ignore hygiene requirements and compromise with public health, Abrar Ahmed Sheikh, Director Operations, Sindh Food Authority (SFA) said on Tuesday.

    Talking at Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), the director urged the owners of all eateries, restaurants, bakeries and other food-related businesses to improve the hygienic conditions in their business premises and provide safe & healthy food to the public otherwise strict action will continue to take place and no compromise will be made over the quality and hygienic conditions.

    Abrar Sheikh said: “It is impossible that the eatery owners are not aware of the shortcomings. They know what exactly is going wrong and they simply cannot deny it yet they ignore it, do not take remedial measures and continue to play with lives of the masses by providing unhygienic and hazardous food which cannot be tolerated.”

    President KCCI Junaid Esmail Makda, Senior Vice President Khurram Shahzad, Vice President Asif Sheikh Javaid, Former President AQ Khalil, Former Vice President Agha Shahab Ahmed Khan, Chairman All Pakistan Restaurants Association Shaukat Ali Omerson, Managing Committee members and a large number of businessmen associated with food-related businesses also attended the meeting.

    Director Operations SFA further stated that SFA works under a transparent mechanism in which the working parameters for food technologists and food safety officers have been defined in such a manner that leave absolutely no room for any kind of under the table deal therefore, all businessmen associated with food businesses should stop thinking about bribing the officers and must rectify their shortcomings, improve the hygienic conditions and provide healthy food to the masses otherwise they will be taken to task by the Authority.

    He explained that SFA never seals any business premises immediately after identifying hygiene and food quality related shortcomings as the authority initially issues an improvement notice and also raises awareness about the hygiene and food quality requirements, which is followed by a warning notice and penalty if the eatery owners fail to improve.

    Subsequently, if the eatery owners continue to avoid taking corrective steps even after the imposition of penalty and warning notice, it leaves no other option for SFA but to seal the business premises under Section 45 of CrPC that results in temporary suspension of commercial activities until all the SFA requirements are complied.

    Referring to President KCCI’s remarks, Director SFA said, “We also want to promote the ease of doing business but no compromise will made over the food quality and hygienic conditions. It is high time to change which has become inevitable now.

    “We firmly believe in consultation rather than taking decisions in isolation, which is the basic reason why SFA carries out awareness drives prior to issuing any warning notice or imposing penalty.”

    He further informed that work was in progress at SFA for setting up a world-class state-of-the-art laboratory where the facility to carry out all forms of tests and verifications will be available which will be acceptable globally.

    Vegetables being cultivated by using the sewage water cannot be tolerated which was a very serious issue therefore, the SFA has decided to initiate a massive drive in which all such productions will be completely bulldozed and strategies will be devised to make that no sewage water is used in future for cultivation of vegetables, he added.

    He stressed that both institutions will have to work collectively to create a healthier society. “We need KCCI’s support otherwise we cannot move forward”, he added.

    Speaking on the occasion, President KCCI Junaid Esmail Makda stated that the Karachi Chamber has been successfully playing the role of bridge between the business community and SFA therefore, any grievance being faced by businessmen be brought to Chamber’s notice so that the issue could be amicably resolved.

    “The authorities at Sindh Food Authority must also work closely with KCCI and carry out all its operation in consultation with KCCI in order to create an enabling business environment”, he added.

    He was of the opinion that prior to taken any action, SFA must hold frequent awareness sessions and make people aware of the required hygienic conditions and food quality as it takes many years to build a brand name which is destroyed within minutes as it has been observed that all the activities being carried out by SFA were being widely broadcasted in the media.

    He also underscored the need to adopt uniform policies by all the food authorities across Pakistan as it has been observed that these policies vary in Sindh, Punjab and KPK, creating a confusing situation for businessmen.

    Referring to SFA operation largely confined to Karachi only, he said that the department should expand its operations to other cities of Sindh as well where hundreds of people were suffering terribly due to unhygienic and low-quality food stuff.

  • SFA finds unhygienic, expired food items in Karachi

    SFA finds unhygienic, expired food items in Karachi

    KARACHI: Sindh Food Authority (SFA) on Wednesday raided several shops of sweets and bakers and found unhygienic environment and expired food items.

    The raids were undertaken in central district of Karachi. The authority inspected sweet shops, bakeries and marts at Block ‘M’ and ‘L’ of North Nazimabad.

    The authority sealed three bakeries and sweet shops in North Nazimabad. Further a fine of Rs120,000 was imposed.
    The SFA found deteriorated and unhygienic condition at a famous bakery. They found chemical at the bakery, which was strictly prohibited for human consumption. Further, they found insecticides and chemicals at the bakery.

    Another nimco shop was raided and found deteriorated hygienic conditions.
    The authority raided at a mart where they found expired ketchup, cold drinks, packed milk, pickles, sauces, tea etc.

    The SFA imposed a fine of Rs10,000 on a famous pakwan centre in North Nazimabad. They found expired and prohibited edible oil in use at the centre.

    The SFA warned shops to comply with standards within 15 days otherwise harsh action would be taken.

  • SFA seals many breakfast eateries in Karachi

    SFA seals many breakfast eateries in Karachi

    KARACHI: Sindh Food Authority (SFA)has sealed many breakfast eateries in different districts of Karachi on Sunday.
    Director Operations, Sindh Food Authority Abrar and Deputy Director Imtiaz Abro along with his team inspected various big eateries.

    Names are as under:

    1) Master broast
    2) Baithak peshawari
    3) Dera
    4) Handi Inn
    5) New Dil pasand

    The team found extreme unhygienic and poor condition of production and storage area. Besides high contamination of dairy products also found in products including meat, salads, pees, sweets, vegetables.

    It is detected that temperature controlling devices were not installed and sanitary conditions were not satisfactory.
    Further following issues were also found:

    — No tracebility records were shown
    — No pests management records were shown
    — No medical certificates of food handlers
    — open kitchen
    — MSG(banned by supreme court) was found
    — unknown food colours/essence were found
    — Mislabelling

    The authority imposed fine of Rs400,000 in total and sealed eateries temporary, including Master Broast, Dera and Baithak.

    In district east, inspection was done at following breakfast eateries in Bahadurabad:
    1) Tooso 2) Nashta point 3) Abbas hotel 4) Akram lassi
    In Gulshan e Iqbal
    1) Continental sweets & bakers 2) Asia pakwan

    The issues were found at these eateries, included:
    — Extremely poor hygiene.
    — Sop’s were not followed.
    — Cross contamination in food.
    — Rancid oil.
    — no medical certificates of food handlers
    — incomplete traceability records

    The authorities imposed fine of Rs210,000
    The Sindh Food Authority has take action in District Central:

    Inspection done at following breakfast eateries
    1) Nasir Sweets, Dhamtal, United king, Dilpasand, Kamran Sweets, Madina Sweets, Chai Session and Mazaidar Pakwan Center.
    The issues were found as:
    — Extremely poor hygiene.
    — SOP’s were not followed.
    — Cross contamination in food.
    — no medical certificates

    Imposed fine of Rs40,000 in total and sealed Madina Sweets.

    Total fine imposed in different districts of Karachi is Rs650,000. The authority has give 7 days of time period is given to these eateries for improvement and chalaan payment.