SFA to enforce ban on loose cooking oil, ghee sale

Cooking oil makers say food authority officials harassing them

KARACHI:

Sale of unpacked cooking oil has been opposed by the health authorities and the branded cooking oil manufacturers alike, however, due to strong resistance from the traders, the practice continues in the city as well as across the province.

Sindh Food Authority (SFA) reiterated on Friday that it maintains, "zero tolerance policy on the sale of unpacked cooking oil, under which the authority is cancelling the licences of open oil sellers while imposing fines on violators."

Speaking at a luncheon at the Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturers Association (PVMA), SFA DG Muzamil Hussain said, there is a conflict between Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and the rules of provincial authorities due to which industries and traders are facing difficulties. Soon, all the rules will be uniform which will make it easier for the manufacturers.

He said that there were 600 visits by the authority in Sindh last year, which has increased to 9,500 per month. The raiding teams are making sure that penalties and checks should be transparent as per the rules.

Muzamil Hussain further said that it would be mandatory for officials to seek DG's permission while imposing fine above Rs50,000. He said that out of the 30 districts of Sindh, only 55 per cent of the food safety laws were being observed in Karachi and Hyderabad. The authority is making sure to implement the rules in all districts. The DG added that Vanaspati Manufacturers Association (PVMA) will work with manufacturers to fix SOPs on fines, raids and inspections.

Earlier PVMA Chairman Sheikh Umar Rehan said that numerous complaints of harassment by the staff and officers of the authority are being received. There are 50 industries of vanaspati manufacturers operating across Sindh. They are not in favour of open sale of oil. The authority and PVMA should jointly formulate SOPs to ensure implementation of food safety rules.