The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority (KP FS&HFA) confiscated over 4000 kilograms of substandard jaggery (Gurr) from a local factory during a raid in District Mardan near Muhib Road on Thursday .
The action was taken on the directive of Secretary Food Department, Capt. Retd. Mushtaq Ahmad.
According to KP FS&HFA, the Food Safety team caught the factory workers red-handed while producing fake jaggery. The food handlers were mixing substandard Gurr, Sugar, chemicals, and non-food grade colors in the production of the jaggery.
The Food Safety team confiscated over 2000 substandard jaggery, over 1000 kilograms of sugar along with chemicals and non-food grade colors from the unit.
Spokesperson KP FS&HFA Qaisar Khan said the substandard jaggery from the unit used to be supplied to various parts of Mardan city. He added, the unit was established inside a house, where unhealthy and substandard ingredients were being used for the production of fake and unhealthy jaggery. All the unhealthy jaggery and tools used for its production were confiscated. The Food Safety team sealed the unit, while strict legal action will be taken against the culprit.
The Food Safety team also inspected various Food-related businesses in district Swat.
During the inspection of a unit in Matta district of Swat, over 550 kilograms of substandard and unhealthy jaggery was confiscated from a shop. The Food Safety team sealed the shop.
Similarly, banned China Salt was confiscated from another shop during the inspection, on which the shop was sealed and heavy fine was imposed.
In District Buner, Deputy Commissioner Buner, inaugurated and inspected Mobile Food Testing Laboratory. He appreciated KP Food Safety and Halal Food Authority for its role in ensuring the provision of safe and healthy food to the people. He said the Mobile Food Testing Laboratory has a very vital role in knowing the level of adulteration and unhealthy ingredients in food products, thus it will help in ensuring safe and nutritious food to the people.
