The Sindh Food Authority (SFA) has directed a private company to immediately withdraw 11 of its packaged snack products from the market after laboratory tests declared them “unfit” for consumption, it was revealed on Monday.
SFA Director General Muzamil Hussain Halepoto announced, “— 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 have been found by examination not fit for human consumption.”
Halepoto informed a private news outlet that he had instructed the company to remove the products from the market within three days, warning that legal action would follow if the deadline was not met. He also urged other provincial food authorities to investigate the issue within their jurisdictions to ensure public health safety.
Approximately two and a half months ago, the company submitted 24 products for registration. The SFA then sent samples to the Food Testing Laboratory at the University of Karachi’s Department of Food Science and Technology, where 11 of the products were deemed unfit for consumption.
In a letter addressed to the company on Monday, the SFA chief explained that the company applied for product registration on March 6 and provided product samples for lab testing, inspection, and food safety audit.
“The examination of the test reports dated April 19 revealed 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. This constitutes a serious violation of the law and regulations,” the letter stated.
Consequently, the SFA chief, under relevant sections of the Sindh Food Authority Act 2016, has ordered a “full food recall” of the products due to the severity of the health and safety violations, invoking Section 24 of the Act to prevent any public health crisis.
The company has been instructed to “immediately withdraw the affected products from the market to prevent any further health risks to the public, cease production and sale of the said products with immediate effect, and provide detailed information regarding the available stock of the affected products, including its location and quantity, to the SFA within three days.”
The DG’s order also offers the company a chance to appeal. “If it feels aggrieved by such order, (the company/person) may pursue appropriate remedy i.e., appeal under relevant law of the said Act to the SFA Board within a period of one week,” the letter added.
Additionally, the SFA reserved its right to initiate “further proceedings for any violation and offences committed under the said Act by the accused, including penal action under the relevant sections of the said law and criminal legal proceedings under the Pakistan Penal Code.”
The company has not released any statement to the media regarding the SFA’s actions.
