The good food fight
Punjab Food Authority’s Ayesha Mumtaz is the one person restaurant owners don’t want a visit from
Punjab Food Authority’s Ayesha Mumtaz is the one person restaurant owners don’t want a visit from. PHOTO CREDIT: SHAFIQ MALIK
She makes restaurant owners break out in a cold sweat when she walks through the doors of their establishment. High-end cafes and restaurants, roadside hotels, and food factories: none have been spared. Punjab Food Authority (PFA) Director Operations Ayesha Mumtaz has recently sealed and fined scores of eateries for unhygienic conditions and substandard food across Punjab and the federal capital. And yet, the grub guard confesses she cannot cook.
Mumtaz took charge of the PFA just over three months ago, on June 1. She quickly earned a reputation for being an unforgiving officer. “My team and I have inspected over 6,000 eateries in this short span,” she told The Express Tribune. “I generally try to respect everyone, but when the PFA tries to seal businesses, people act rudely and try to flex their muscles. Then I respond to them in their own language, which they understand better,” she says, dispelling any reservations about her sternness being hyperbole. “No matter how big or small a business is, no one is above the law.”
Mumtaz hails from a middle income family in Lahore. After passing her Provincial Civil Services (PCS) examination, she started her career as a staff officer for the District Coordination Officer (DCO), Lahore. Serving later at several posts in different departments, including the home department, Mumtaz eventually found herself in charge of the Punjab Food Authority, a job she takes very seriously.
“People ask me, ‘What do you know about food quality? Have you ever cooked? Are you a food technologist?’ but it isn’t necessary to be a good cook or a food technologist to implement hygiene laws. The authority has a team of professionals which is qualified and trained for that purpose,” she says of the criticism she faces.
Mumtaz is visibly agitated when confronted by accusations that the authority is imposing fines without proper inspection. “Do you think you need to test food in a laboratory if it stinks? Do you think there is a need for a test if the freezers are rusty or have congealed blood everywhere?” She insists that when required, proper sampling is done in a laboratory before a penalty is imposed.
Mumtaz says her experience as the town municipal officer taught her to be tough. During raids at bus stands in Badami Bagh, Lahore, she faced some very hostile transporters. They would misbehave and refuse to comply, forcing her to deal with them with an iron hand. Now, after a 14-year career in civil service, she has earned the rather unceremonious reputation of being ‘the lady who does not listen to sifarish or entertain requests for favour’.
Yet, she doesn’t agree with the parallel drawn on social media and sometimes in official meetings between her and the fearless police officer in Bollywood smash hit Dabangg. “I try to be humble and soft spoken,” she says, adding a caveat that her job often warrants stringency.
So what is Mumtaz’s own kitchen like? For starters, she isn’t there. Her busy schedule leaves her with little time to cook, a responsibility taken up by other family members and domestic help. She is especially grateful to her sisters, who look after her children in her absence. “I try to be a good mother, but only my children can tell you how good I am,” she says with a smile.
“It would be impossible for me to set new standards in the implementation of food regulations without the will of the political leadership,” says Mumtaz, appreciating the unfettered authority given to her by the government. She blames the casual attitude towards hygiene in the food sector as the root cause of all ills. “If someone does not know they should not use expired products or sell rotten food, they should not be in the food business. The law is very clear, but the lethargic attitude towards hygiene is frustrating.”
However, with Mumtaz on the prowl, complacency is not really an option for restaurateurs. With the new law having been approved, any foul play in the food sector can land owners of eateries in jail for a minimum of three days to life imprisonment as food-related offences are now non-bailable. If you own a restaurant, Mumtaz wants you to know you’re playing with fire, in more ways than one.
Imran Adnan is a Lahore-based reporter for The Express Tribune.
He tweets @imran_adnan
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, September 20th, 2015.
Mumtaz took charge of the PFA just over three months ago, on June 1. She quickly earned a reputation for being an unforgiving officer. “My team and I have inspected over 6,000 eateries in this short span,” she told The Express Tribune. “I generally try to respect everyone, but when the PFA tries to seal businesses, people act rudely and try to flex their muscles. Then I respond to them in their own language, which they understand better,” she says, dispelling any reservations about her sternness being hyperbole. “No matter how big or small a business is, no one is above the law.”
Mumtaz hails from a middle income family in Lahore. After passing her Provincial Civil Services (PCS) examination, she started her career as a staff officer for the District Coordination Officer (DCO), Lahore. Serving later at several posts in different departments, including the home department, Mumtaz eventually found herself in charge of the Punjab Food Authority, a job she takes very seriously.
“People ask me, ‘What do you know about food quality? Have you ever cooked? Are you a food technologist?’ but it isn’t necessary to be a good cook or a food technologist to implement hygiene laws. The authority has a team of professionals which is qualified and trained for that purpose,” she says of the criticism she faces.
Mumtaz is visibly agitated when confronted by accusations that the authority is imposing fines without proper inspection. “Do you think you need to test food in a laboratory if it stinks? Do you think there is a need for a test if the freezers are rusty or have congealed blood everywhere?” She insists that when required, proper sampling is done in a laboratory before a penalty is imposed.
Mumtaz says her experience as the town municipal officer taught her to be tough. During raids at bus stands in Badami Bagh, Lahore, she faced some very hostile transporters. They would misbehave and refuse to comply, forcing her to deal with them with an iron hand. Now, after a 14-year career in civil service, she has earned the rather unceremonious reputation of being ‘the lady who does not listen to sifarish or entertain requests for favour’.
Yet, she doesn’t agree with the parallel drawn on social media and sometimes in official meetings between her and the fearless police officer in Bollywood smash hit Dabangg. “I try to be humble and soft spoken,” she says, adding a caveat that her job often warrants stringency.
So what is Mumtaz’s own kitchen like? For starters, she isn’t there. Her busy schedule leaves her with little time to cook, a responsibility taken up by other family members and domestic help. She is especially grateful to her sisters, who look after her children in her absence. “I try to be a good mother, but only my children can tell you how good I am,” she says with a smile.
“It would be impossible for me to set new standards in the implementation of food regulations without the will of the political leadership,” says Mumtaz, appreciating the unfettered authority given to her by the government. She blames the casual attitude towards hygiene in the food sector as the root cause of all ills. “If someone does not know they should not use expired products or sell rotten food, they should not be in the food business. The law is very clear, but the lethargic attitude towards hygiene is frustrating.”
However, with Mumtaz on the prowl, complacency is not really an option for restaurateurs. With the new law having been approved, any foul play in the food sector can land owners of eateries in jail for a minimum of three days to life imprisonment as food-related offences are now non-bailable. If you own a restaurant, Mumtaz wants you to know you’re playing with fire, in more ways than one.
Imran Adnan is a Lahore-based reporter for The Express Tribune.
He tweets @imran_adnan
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, September 20th, 2015.