Pakistan

Sindh Food Authority bans 11 packaged snacks, found unfit for human consumption

Published by

Digital Desk

2 years ago

KARACHI: The Sindh Food Authority (SFA) has banned 11 packaged snack products after a laboratory declared them “unfit” for people’s consumption.

Sindh Food Authority directed a concerned private company to immediately withdraw Slanty Vegetable, Snackers Hot Masala, Snackers Pizza, Twitch Classic, Potato Sticks, Cheese Ball Masala, Cheese Balls Cheese, Kai Korean Hot, Kai Spicy Mala, Kai Mala Wok, and Kai Korean Kimchi from the market.

SFA Director General Muzamil Hussain Halepoto said that the laboratory examination found these products not fit for human consumption. He informed the company management to withdraw the said products from the market within three days otherwise legal action would be initiated against the company.

Food Testing Laboratory established at the Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Karachi, had declared 11 of them unfit for human consumption after the company around two and a half months ago submitted 24 products for registration.

A letter written to the private company on Monday, said, “It was found by examination of the test reports dated April 19 that the products did not meet the minimum required safety and quality standards and, therefore, were not fit for human consumption and pose a potentially significant health hazard to the public and it is also a serious violation of the law and regulations.”

Therefore, the SFA chief under relevant sections of the Sindh Food Authority Act 2016 has issued an order for “initiating full food recall” against the products as the magnitude of the health and safety violations being committed are on such a scale that it warrants action under the S-24 (of the said Act) to prevent any public health crisis.

The company has been directed to “immediately withdraw the affected products from the market to prevent any further health risks to the public, to cease production and sale of the said products with immediate effect, and to provide detailed information regarding the available stock of the affected products, including its location and quantity to the SFA without fail within three days,” it added.

The DG’s order also provides a ‘remedy’ to the accused person /company. “If it feels aggrieved by such order, (the company/person) may pursue appropriate remedy i.e. appeal under the relevant law of the said Act to the SFA Board within a period of one week,” says the letter.