848 Samples of Various Food Items Tested Across the Province: Says Officials
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority successfully concluded its seven-day free mobile food testing campaign, during which 848 samples of various food items, including milk, water, oil and ghee, spices, vinegar, black tea, salt, and beverages, were tested free of charge.
A spokesperson for the Food Authority shared details of the campaign, stating that food safety teams, under the directives of Minister for Food, Zahir Shah Toru and Director General of the Food Authority, Wasif Saeed conducted the seven-day testing across all divisions of the province. The spokesperson revealed that a total of 848 samples were collected and tested on-site using mobile food testing laboratories. A total of 255 samples were collected from the Peshawar Division, followed by 121 from Mardan, 81 from Bannu, 63 from Dera Ismail Khan, 55 from Kohat, 110 from Hazara, and 163 from the Malakand Division.
Out of the 848 samples, 664 were found to be satisfactory, while 184 were deemed substandard. The breakdown of samples tested included 332 samples of milk, 156 of water, 30 of beverages, 49 of spices, 78 of tea leaves, 78 of oil and ghee, and 22 of salt.
The public and businesses involved in the food industry widely appreciated the initiative of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Authority, with many calling for such campaigns to continue in the future.
Director General of the Food Authority Wasif Saeed commended the efforts of the food safety teams for the successful completion of the campaign. He emphasized that more testing drives and crackdowns would be carried out to further enhance food safety standards in the province.
Minister for Food Zahir Shah Toru, also praised the food safety teams for their performance and reiterated the provincial government’s commitment to providing safe and quality food to the public. He highlighted that seven mobile food testing labs are currently operational in the province, with five more to be activated soon. The minister further noted that the Food Authority’s static laboratory in Hayatabad continues to test milk using modern MilkoScan machines, as part of efforts to upgrade the authority’s testing capabilities using the latest scientific methods.
These initiatives, he added, will ensure the availability of quality food items in markets across the province.
Comments are closed.