By Syed Tauqeer Zaidi
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority (KPFS&HFA) conducted major enforcement operations in Peshawar against businesses producing and selling counterfeit, substandard and hazardous food items. The raids resulted in the seizure of a large quantity of fake cold drinks and dry yeast.
According to a spokesperson for the Food Authority, teams acting on confidential information carried out operations on Phandu Road and in the Peshawar Industrial Zone under the direct supervision of Deputy Director Peshawar Division, Zeeshan Mehsud.
During the Phandu Road operation, approximately 2,000 litres of counterfeit cold drinks were recovered from a warehouse and taken into official custody. In a separate raid in the Peshawar Industrial Zone, authorities discovered a production unit manufacturing fake dry yeast, seizing around 1,000 kilograms of raw and finished counterfeit product.
Machinery used for producing and packaging fake dry yeast under the names of well-known brands was also confiscated. Owners of the involved units were fined heavily, and legal proceedings were initiated under the Food Safety Act.
Director General of KP Food Safety and Halal Food Authority, Kashif Iqbal Jilani, praised the food safety teams for their successful operations and reiterated the province’s zero-tolerance policy against counterfeit, substandard and hazardous food products.
Jilani emphasised that no leniency would be shown to those endangering public health and urged citizens to report any individuals or businesses involved in producing or selling unsafe food or counterfeit beverages to ensure timely action.
