HEALTH
Sindh Food Authority Orders Immediate Recall of 11 Packaged Snack Products Found Unfit for Consumption
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The Sindh Food Authority (SFA) has mandated the immediate withdrawal of 11 packaged snack products from the market after laboratory tests deemed them unfit for human consumption. The SFA's Director General, Muzamil Hussain Halepoto, announced the directive on Monday, emphasizing the urgency of the recall to protect public health.
The products in question are: Slanty Vegetable, Snackers Hot Masala, Snackers Pizza, Twitch Classic, Potato Sticks, Cheese Ball Masala, Cheese Balls Cheese, Kai Korean Hot, Kai Spicy Mala, Kai Mala Wok, and Kai Korean Kimchi.
Halepoto informed Dawn that the company responsible for these products must remove them from the market within three days or face legal action. He also urged other provincial food authorities to address this issue within their jurisdictions to ensure public safety.
The recall follows the company’s submission of 24 products for registration approximately two and a half months ago. Samples were tested by the Food Testing Laboratory at the University of Karachi’s Department of Food Science and Technology, which declared 11 products unsafe for consumption.
In a letter to the company, the SFA stated that the products failed to meet minimum safety and quality standards, posing significant health risks. The recall is being enforced under the Sindh Food Authority Act 2016 to prevent a public health crisis.
The company has been instructed to:
- Withdraw the affected products from the market immediately.
- Cease production and sale of these products.
- Provide detailed information about the available stock of the affected products, including location and quantity, to the SFA within three days.
The company has the right to appeal the decision to the SFA Board within a week. The SFA also reserves the right to initiate further proceedings, including penal and criminal legal actions, under relevant sections of the Sindh Food Authority Act and the Pakistan Penal Code.
This decisive action by the SFA underscores its commitment to safeguarding public health and ensuring that all food products meet stringent safety standards.