The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday sought reports from the Sindh chief secretary, director Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), secretary health, secretary food, and other officials on a petition against sale of substandard food items and beverages throughout the province.
A non-profit organisation, United Human Rights Commission Pakistan, moved the court seeking directives from the relevant authorities for slapping ban on sale of contaminated and substandard food items and juices.
The petitioner, Rana Faizul Hassan, general secretary of the organisation, requested the court to direct PSQCA to allow sale of only safe and standard food products and beverages in the province.
The petitioner submitted that reports of some newspapers showed that substandard and contaminated food products and beverages, including edible cooking oil, ghee, juices, milk, lemopani and flour, were being sold in the different districts of the province. He said markets were flooded with the substandard items which are playing havoc with the lives of people.
He said that more than 0.15 million shops were devoid of mandatory food licences in the metropolitan, adding that only 2500 units were issued such licences. The petitioner stated that authorities were not taking action against shopkeepers doing business without such licences and selling unsafe food.
