Open Sale of Substandard and Adulterated Items in Balochistan; Food Safety Crisis Takes a Serious Turn
Swarming Flies, Rusty Refrigerators and Substandard Food: BFA Takes Action, Fines Imposed on 35 Centers
QUETTA (Daily Qudrat Quetta) — The Balochistan Food Authority’s operations and measures for the elimination of substandard food and improvement of the quality of food items continue. In this connection, during inspections in various areas including Quetta, Khuzdar, Kuchlak, and Pishin, fines were imposed on a total of 35 centers for substandard food, adulteration, expired items, and violations of food safety laws, while corrective notices were issued to 47.
According to the BFA spokesperson, the purpose of the operations is to improve the quality of food items and ensure the provision of safe food to the public. According to the spokesperson, the Balochistan Food Authority inspection team, while inspecting restaurants and bakeries in Quetta’s Hazara Town area, fined 3 restaurants and one bakery. During the operation, numerous violations came to light, including poor sanitation conditions, negligence in workers’ personal hygiene, open garbage bins, poor drainage arrangements, swarming flies, and rusty refrigerators. Expired bread, beverages, coffee, desi ghee, juices, snacks, biscuits, cakes, and fresh cream were also recovered from the centers, while some items did not have production and expiry dates listed. Action was also taken over the use of prohibited Chinese salt in spices.
Additionally, to curb milk adulteration, BFA milk safety teams inspected milk shops in Quetta’s Mitha Chowk, Pashtunabad, and Faqir Muhammad Road areas. During on-the-spot testing of milk and yogurt samples, 3 milk sellers were fined for adding large quantities of skimmed milk powder and water, while corrective notices were issued to 2 milk shops for minor defects.
Similarly, in Khuzdar, the zonal inspection team checked food points in Agha Market, Umar Farooq Chowk, Mir Chakar Khan Road, and various suburban areas. Fines were imposed on the owners of 2 centers for doing business without a food business license.
During operations at Kuchlak Bazaar, Ziarat Road, and Chaman Road, action was taken against 20 centers doing business of food items without a food business license despite repeated warnings and notices. In addition, corrective notices were issued to numerous centers for minor violations, with directions to comply with the prescribed regulations.
Furthermore, during a special inspection in Pishin’s Qila Batezai area, fines were imposed on 5 food units for poor sanitation arrangements, violations of health principles, and the presence of expired food items.
During the inspection, Balochistan Food Authority inspection teams directed the owners of the relevant centers to ensure compliance with food safety laws and the SOPs formulated by the authority, making clear that legal action will continue for violations of regulations related to food quality, hygiene, and public health.
