Strict measures: ‘Eateries selling poor quality food beware’

Akhtar said if someone died from consuming substandard food, the culprit could be sentenced to life imprisonment


Our Correspondent August 28, 2015
Akhtar said if someone died from consuming substandard food, the culprit could be sentenced to life imprisonment. PHOTO: NNI

BAHAWALPUR:


Selling or manufacturing adulterated food is a very serious crime, Bahawalpur Assistant Commissioner Rao Tasleem Akhtar told several food outlet owners at his office on Friday.


Under the Punjab Food Authority Ordinance 2015, those found guilty of selling substandard food items could be imprisoned and fined, he said. Akhtar said businesses endangering the lives of people did not deserve leniency.

Failure to comply with rules and regulations, following a warning, could land violators in prison for up to six months. He said they could be fined up to Rs200,000.

If a consumer fell ill from eating substandard food, the owner of the company or eatery that sold him or her the food, could be sentenced up to three years in prison  and fined up Rs1 million.

Akhtar said if someone died from consuming substandard food, the culprit could be sentenced to life imprisonment and fined up to Rs2 million.

He urged owners of food outlets to acquire licences to sell food items and to obtain health certificates for their employees. During a video conference with the DCOs of Bahawalpur Division on Friday, Provincial Food Secretary Parvaiz Ahmad Khan said that special district courts would be set up in the division to try those caught selling substandard food. “Safeguarding the general public from those selling substandard food is a moral obligation,” he said.

Licences to sell food would have to be renewed each year, the provincial secretary said.

The secretary directed officials to focus on monitoring milk, milk-based products, cooking oil, ghee, soda water, street vendors, food processing units, beverage factories and ice factories. Earlier, Bahawalpur Commissioner Saqib Zafar shared details about the performance of the divisional task force and the Punjab Food Authority. He said that officials were hard at work throughout the division to end the practice of selling poor quality food.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29th, 2015. 

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