PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Hilal food Authority on Monday claimed to have recovered over 6000 kg of unhealthy spices from different parts of the city.
The authority said that bran and rice straw were being mixed with other unhealthy ingredients for manufacturing spices and were supplied to markets across the province ahead of Ramazan. The authority alleged that various unhealthy dyes were also recovered during the operation.
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According to Director General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety Authority Shah Rukh Ali Khan, a mega crackdown has been launched against unhealthy spices across the province. During the operation, three spice manufacturing units were sealed were sealed on Charsadda road. According to the Food Safety Authority, substandard edible oil used in manufacturing spices was also recovered and confiscated.
The Authority added that stocks of counterfeit spices were being prepared in the sealed units before Ramadan, when the demands of spices and other commodities increased in the market. Unhealthy spices were supplied from the spice units throughout the province, including Peshawar.
“The hygiene situation in the units was also found to be extremely poor, and SOPs of the Food Safety Authority were being violated in the preparation of spices.” said DG Food Safety Authority said, “Crackdowns on unhealthy and counterfeit spices will continue.” Similarly Secretary Food Department Capt. (Retd) Mushtaq Ahmed said various chips manufacturing units were also inspected during the operation and more than 450 kg of substandard packing material was recovered from one unit while the owners of the sealed units were summoned to the office for further action.
Shah Rukh Ali Khan, spices are a very important part of our diet therefore there can be no compromise on its quality. Khan said that measures have been taken against those who mix spices with harmful ingredients. He assured that strict legal action would be taken against the owners who use harmful material in manguaruting spices
.