ISLAMABAD
The Balochistan Food Authority (BFA) would get modern scientific laboratory with a cost of Rs 163.789 million to verify and monitor food business in the province and to ensure provision of hygienic food items to the general public.
The present government has fully activated the Balochistan Food Authority, which has made it possible to provide hygiene and quality food products across the province, an official of the Balochistan government told APP here Sunday.
He said that Balochistan government has already given the approval for provision of two mobile food testing labs to the BFA in Quetta and Khuzdar for food safety and quality control.
With the provision of these credible labs, the Authority would be able to check and monitor all the packed and unpacked food items besides food standard of restaurants in the respective areas, he added.
The official said that the Authority would be able to make sure its formulated standards, procedures and guidelines in relation to any aspect of food including food business, food labeling and food additives to specify appropriate enforcement systems.
He said the government has planned to endorse proper food laboratories enabled with methods of sampling, analysis of samples and report formation of results to take specific measures to curtail adulteration in food across the province.
The BFA has sealed various eateries in the province for selling sub-standard food and poor hygienic conditions, he said and added that the Authority has also imposed fine on food outlets, besides serving notices to them.
Awareness campaigns were also launched to sensitize the masses about the effects of low quality food to the human health, he also told and added that raids were conducted at various canteens, hotels, bakery functional in the city after receiving complaints by the locals regarding selling of substandard food.
“The owners of different eateries were being directed to improve the hygienic conditions at their outlets to ensure selling of quality food as per BFA’s standards.
It is a top priority of the provincial government to ensure the availability of quality and safe food in the province. No one will be allowed to play the lives of people,” he remarked.
He said that BFA had also banned the storage, selling and manufacturing of various products including loose powder milk, artificial eggs, gutka and substandard oil and ghee. —APP
