Gandapur opens K-P's first food laboratory

Rs905m hi-tech facility to boost safety, research, and halal certification standards

PESHAWAR:

In a landmark development for food safety and public health, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur on Wednesday inaugurated the province's first Provincial Food Testing Laboratory and Centre for Research in Hayatabad, Peshawar.

The cutting-edge facility, constructed at a cost of Rs905 million under the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority (KPFS&HFA), is built to international ISO standards and aims to transform food testing and regulation across the province.

Food Minister Zahir Shah Toru, Advisor to CM for Relief Naik Muhammad, Secretary Food, Secretary C&W, DG Food Authority Wasif Saeed, and other senior officials were present at the inauguration ceremony.

The laboratory houses eight specialized units under a single roof and is backed by a centralized Management Information System (MIS) and a digital traceability system. These features are designed to enhance transparency, speed up lab result access, and facilitate data-driven decision-making for both consumers and businesses.

According to Food Minister Zahir Shah Toru, the lab can analyze over 1,500 parameters in 100 different food and beverage categories. "This is a game-changer for the province. It ends our reliance on other provinces and private labs. With this facility, we can directly enhance the quality of food our people consume," he said.

The facility is not only a testing center but also a hub for research, development, and policy guidance. Integrated with KPFS&HFA's operational teams in over 20 districts, the lab will process field samples efficiently and securely, ensuring quick turnaround on results.

The lab's extensive scope includes microbiological analysis to detect harmful pathogens such as Salmonella, E coli, and Listeria, chemical analysis to detect adulterants and toxins like aflatoxins and formalin, as well as nutritional profiling for fat, protein, moisture, ash, and caloric content.

It also supports Halal certification and meat speciation to detect non-permissible species such as pork, donkey, or dog meat. Advanced services include identifying antibiotic residues in meat and milk, heavy metals in water, and pesticide levels in fruits and vegetables.

Equipped with advanced technology like GC-MS, AAS, ICP-OES, HPLC, UHPLC, and FTIR, the lab is on par with global standards.

Director General KPFS&HFA Wasif Saeed praised the provincial leadership's commitment, stating, "The successful and timely completion of this laboratory reflects our government's dedication to ensuring safe, healthy, and halal food for all residents of K-P."

This facility is expected to foster interdepartmental coordination with sectors like Public Health, Agriculture, Environment, and Livestock, contributing to preventive healthcare and environmental safety while setting a new benchmark for food quality regulation in Pakistan.