Cantt’s first food testing lab starts operations

The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB)’s first food testing lab has formally launched its operations to ensure the manufacture and sale of food items in accordance with the principles of hygiene for the citizens in cantonment areas.

Sources said the food lab, consisting of 13 different sophisticated machines and laboratory test experts, will not only perform sampling for the RCB’s food control cell but will also examine the food samples brought in by the common citizens at nominal charges.

The food control cell has constituted trained food sampling teams, the sources added.

According to sources, the food samples for the products prepared and marketed in the cantonment, will not be sent to the food testing laboratories of Lahore and Peshawar to determine the quality of the food items in accordance with the hygiene principles.

The sources said that the reports for the samples sent to the laboratories of Lahore and Peshawar took several months to be received in addition to huge costs.

The food testing lab, set up in the RCB’s office, will be able to determine the hygiene of food items including milk, water, wheat, ghee, oil, juices, jam, ketchup, honey, fast food, sweets, fruit, vegetable, fish, meat, tea, drinks and others.

The food testing facility initially cost Rs3 million while more machines are yet to be installed.

During the inspection of food items, the food control cell staff will not only be empowered to impose penalties but also the cases will be sent to the court of cantonment magistrate in case the food items, tested at the food testing lab, are found unhygienic and dangerous for human consumption from where heavy penalties will be imposed on those manufacturing and selling harmful products.

According to RCB’s food control cell in-charge, Haroon Zafar, at the instructions of the Cantonment Executive Officer, the food control cell has begun a crackdown against those selling hazardous milk, meat and other food items across the cantonment.

Cantonment Executive Officer Imran Gulzar says that no one will be allowed to play with the health and lives of citizens in the name of the business in the cantonment.

“Those who are involved in the manufacture and sale of unhealthy food items should stop doing so right away as there will be a 100% food sampling and those responsible will have to face heavy fines if food items are found to be unhealthy, stale and adulterated in the reports of the food testing lab,” he said.

Gulzar also advised the residents of cantonment areas not to compromise their health and lives and if they feel that a food item is adulterated, stale or unhealthy it should be tested so that action could be taken against those who manufacture and sell unhealthy food items.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2023.