Pakistanis are spending huge on dining out, from Rs5000 hi tea at high-end restaurant to Rs1000 coffee. But whenever a raid video gives people a glimpse inside a restaurant kitchen, the reaction is often immediate, and frantic. Now, Punjab Food Authority is taking a new approach. Instead of customers only finding out about hygiene problems after a raid, restaurants in Punjab are set to receive star ratings based on factors such as cleanliness, food quality, hygiene and overall standards.
After a series of raids involving expired food, imported products past their expiry dates, allegedly altered expiry labels and counterfeit packaging, the Punjab Food Authority is now preparing to take its restaurant inspections a step further. And this time, the spotlight is going inside the kitchen.
PFA Advisor Salma Matin said the authority is introducing a Star Rating App for restaurants. The system is expected to assess restaurants on everything from cleanliness and hygiene to food quality, quantity and the overall environment. But there is one part of the plan that could really change the way restaurants operate: customers may finally get a look at what happens behind the kitchen doors.
Mostly, you walk into restaurant and everything might look perfect. From tables to aesthetic lighting and polished reception area. But what about the kitchen? What about the storage room, and how clean are the cooking areas? These are the things customers normally have no way of knowing.
According to Salma Matin, cameras could be installed in restaurant kitchens, with screens placed inside the restaurants so customers can actually see the conditions in which their food is being prepared. In other words, the kitchen may no longer be a completely hidden part of the restaurant.
The proposed Star Rating App could also give consumers a bigger role. Instead of relying entirely on what a restaurant says about itself, customers could have an opportunity to rate their experience. Was the restaurant clean? Was the food up to standard? Was the quantity reasonable? Was the overall environment hygienic?
The idea is to put more information in the hands of the people who are actually eating the food. But there is an important catch: public ratings will only be useful if they are fair and genuine.
A rating system should not become a place for fake reviews, personal grudges or unfair attacks on businesses. If the system is properly monitored, however, it could become a powerful tool for accountability.
Punjab Food Authority teams have been conducting raids against a range of food-safety violations, including expired imported food products such as chocolates and chips, as well as products where expiry dates are allegedly being changed.
Authorities have also taken action over suspected counterfeit packaging, including cases involving ghee allegedly packed in packaging resembling that of a well-known international brand and spices sold in allegedly fake packaging.
There is also a proposal that restaurant ratings should be displayed prominently at the entrance. Think about it. Before walking into a restaurant, a customer could potentially look at the rating on the door and make a decision. For restaurant owners, that little sticker could become much more important than decoration.
A good rating could build trust. A poor rating could send customers somewhere else, and hoefully the pressure could encourage restaurants to maintain standards every day—not just when they know an inspection is coming.
PFA Director General Raja Mansoor has also been credited with pushing forward the authority’s food-safety efforts. The proposed system represents a shift from simply catching violations after they happen to creating a system where restaurants are continuously visible to regulators and, potentially, to the public.
The success of Star Rating App will depend on how transparently it is implemented, how regularly restaurants are evaluated, how public reviews are verified and whether poor ratings actually lead to corrective action.
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