Although World Food Day was marked on Sunday to mark efforts to monitor the quality of food, the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) planned by Punjab Chief Minister to regulate food trade has been in limbo for the last five months.
In a Punjab cabinet meeting held at the CM secretariat, Shahbaz Sharif approved the draft bills of Punjab Food Safety and Standard Authority Act 2011 in June to ensure the provision of hygienic food items to the people. He claimed that the PFA would ensure the availability of quality food to people. The CM said elements involved in adulteration, short measuring and overpricing would be sternly dealt with.
He ordered to form a committee headed by the provincial law minister and directed that committee should submit recommendations to be incorporated in the draft law within 48 hours. By the end of June, the Punjab assembly approved the Punjab Food Safety and Standard Authority Act, 2011 to give a legal cover to PFA’s constitution. However, even after many months, due to the government’s indifference, not a single step has been taken to form the PFA.
A CM secretariat official told Pakistan Today that the formation of PFA had never been the government’s priority and any delay in its establishment would not worsen the situation. A Food department official disclosed that the Punjab government did not have funds and could not materialise the PFA. The resources had been used up to check the flood crisis and the dengue epidemic, he added
District Officer (Food) Dr Masood Ashraf said the PFA had still not materialised but it would be formed soon to regulate food trade. Punjab Food Stamp Scheme Administrator SA Hameed said without developing the infrastructure for the PFA, checking food adulteration was not possible. He said under the PFA, mobile testing laboratories would be set up on the roads of to check the quality of food.
According to details, after the formation of PFA, the government the duties served by the health department and City District Government Lahore food office will be performed by the PFA. All laboratories will be under the administrative control of the PFA. It will monitor colouring, preservatives, flavouring compounds, antioxidants, stabilisers, anti-caking agent, non-nutritive constituents and metals in food items.
It will regulate and monitor the food business and will formulate procedures, standards and guidelines for food business, food labelling, food additive, and will specify appropriate enforcement systems and guidelines for setting up and accrediting food laboratories
It will comprise a chairperson and 17 members.
The government will appoint the chairperson while members will include the secretaries of Food, Health, Livestock, Dairy Development, Public Health Engineering and Local Government and Community Development departments, three MPAs, two eminent food technologists or scientists, one representative of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry, two representatives each from farmers and consumers organisations, one representative each from food operators and food industry.
It will also formulate sampling methods, analyse samples and report the results and in turn specify licensing, prohibition orders, recall procedures, improvement notices or prosecution. It will also determine terms and conditions of service of its employees, provide scientific advice and technical support to the government and collect and analyse relevant scientific and technical data.
The PFA will exercise its functions in accordance with the well established scientific principles and international practices. It will establish one or more scientific panels, which will comprise the director general of PFA, a representative who is well versed in food science from the National Institute of Food Science and Technology or University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, a food technologist or scientist, a medical practitioner registered with Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and three representatives of food manufacturers in the relevant field.
