Food safety: PFA prepares to expand into Faisalabad
Plans to hire 27 new staff, start operations in January.
File photo of a food vendor. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD IQBAL/EXPRESS
LAHORE:
The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) is preparing to expand its operations into Faisalabad and will soon ask the Punjab government for permission to hire new staff for the purpose, The Express Tribune has learnt.
The PFA has yet to receive formal approval from the provincial government for its proposal sent in earlier this month to extend its mandate to Faisalabad district, though officials in the authority said that they had received word unofficially that the proposal would be okayed.
The PFA, a body set up to regulate the food industry for public health and safety, is currently operational only in Lahore. It will soon ask the Punjab government to lift a ban on fresh recruitments so it can hire 27 new officers including a deputy district officer for operations, food safety officers, assistant FSOs and data entry operators for Faisalabad, as well as fill empty posts in Lahore.
PFA officials said that they were confident that their proposals would be approved, especially in view of a positive third-party evaluation of the authority’s first year in action. According to the performance report, conducted by the General Monitoring Directorate and Evaluation, Planning and Development Board, the PFA inspected 6,000 food outlets in one year and 2,500 of these applied to the authority for licences. PFA teams sealed 425 eateries and factories and fined them for unhygienic conditions, improper sanitation and substandard food quality.
The report recommended that the licensing system be made more efficient and applicants be given the option of applying for a licence online. It also suggested that the PFA’s strength be increased and its authority be extended to all districts of the province.
PFA officials said they hoped to start operations in January next year. If their proposal for hiring new staff was approved, they would try to hire them quickly so they could be trained ahead of the proposed start date in Faisalabad.
PFA Director General Asad Islam Mahani was not available for comment, while PFA Chairman Justice (retired) Amir Raza said that he was unaware of the developments.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 26th, 2013.
The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) is preparing to expand its operations into Faisalabad and will soon ask the Punjab government for permission to hire new staff for the purpose, The Express Tribune has learnt.
The PFA has yet to receive formal approval from the provincial government for its proposal sent in earlier this month to extend its mandate to Faisalabad district, though officials in the authority said that they had received word unofficially that the proposal would be okayed.
The PFA, a body set up to regulate the food industry for public health and safety, is currently operational only in Lahore. It will soon ask the Punjab government to lift a ban on fresh recruitments so it can hire 27 new officers including a deputy district officer for operations, food safety officers, assistant FSOs and data entry operators for Faisalabad, as well as fill empty posts in Lahore.
PFA officials said that they were confident that their proposals would be approved, especially in view of a positive third-party evaluation of the authority’s first year in action. According to the performance report, conducted by the General Monitoring Directorate and Evaluation, Planning and Development Board, the PFA inspected 6,000 food outlets in one year and 2,500 of these applied to the authority for licences. PFA teams sealed 425 eateries and factories and fined them for unhygienic conditions, improper sanitation and substandard food quality.
The report recommended that the licensing system be made more efficient and applicants be given the option of applying for a licence online. It also suggested that the PFA’s strength be increased and its authority be extended to all districts of the province.
PFA officials said they hoped to start operations in January next year. If their proposal for hiring new staff was approved, they would try to hire them quickly so they could be trained ahead of the proposed start date in Faisalabad.
PFA Director General Asad Islam Mahani was not available for comment, while PFA Chairman Justice (retired) Amir Raza said that he was unaware of the developments.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 26th, 2013.