GMA, food authority negotiations successful

Negotiations between the Food Authority and the Grocery Merchants Association (GMA) regarding different issues and demands have come to a successful conclusion.

As part of the negotiations, the Food Authority has agreed to exempt helpers and employees at grocery shops all over the province from medical screening tests, training regarding environment and granted immunity to small grocery shop owners from heavy fines. Aside from this, both parties agreed to develop new Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs), which would include the imposition of huge penalties for presence of rats in large grocery warehouses and major shops.

GMA central president, Arif Gujjar, and the association's patron, Saleem Parvaiz Butt, declared the negotiations with the Director General (DG) of the Food Authority and his team as successful. The negotiations were chaired by the DG Food Authority. Provincial officers of the Food Authority and business leaders also participated in the negotiations.

During the meeting, the GMA's request to exempt their helpers and employees from medical screening tests was considered valid, as it was understood that grocery shops only sell dry items such as pulses, rice and gram, and not open food items such as chaat, chana, dahee bhale, etc. For the same reason it was also declared that training by the Environment Department is not necessary for them.