F.P. Report
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halaal Food Authority has banned eight different eatables.
During a press conference Director General of the authority Riaz Khan Mahsud said on Thursday that that after being operational in seven divisional districts of KP including Peshawar, the authority has now imposed ban on different eatable items with respect to specific terms and conditions.
He explained that a scientific committee comprising more than twenty PhD’s doctors and food experts has hold a meeting earlier where ban on several items were discussed and proposed.
It was proposed by the committee that carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, chips and papad which are already being reported as hazardous to health should be restricted in educational institutions’ premises.
Spices should be first checked for the presence of aflatoxins and then should be banned on that basis.
The adulteration and expired spices are being used again in new packaging material.
Use of calcium carbide is very cheap and is embedded in the whole system so that it will take long time to replace it with ethylene or any other ripening agent. It is decided that a grace period of two years should be granted and after it should be considered for complete ban.
Gutka, pan, chaalia and chorin are recommended to be banned in KP as they are made of harmful and carcinogenic contents items.
“Agino Motto” commonly known as china salt has been banned by the worthy Supreme Court of Pakistan.. Although its scientific name is Monosodium Glutamate, it is sold and available in the market as “Ajino motto”. Therefore, a ban on the brand of Agino Motto is decided with immediate effect.
Nickel, which is used as catalyst in the process of making banaspati ghee is injurious for health and hydrogenation process should be modified and complete saturation should be replaced by partial saturation. So the health hazards of Hydrogenations to be reviewed in future expert committee meetings to formulate standards for this process.
Six months time will be given to all the industries to make the necessary arrangements regarding the effluents so that it can be recycled / treated, instead of draining it into fresh water sources. Also the role of irrigation department, and Environmental Protection Department would be highlighted and strong coordination with them is about to take place from the authority to mainstream the issue.
