The grace period of 1.5 years on the sale of loose food stuff will expire soon and will be banned under new and revised regulations said the Punjab Food Authority (PFA)Director General Noorul Amin Mengal.
Mengal stated that enforcing a ban on the sale of loose stuff would be highly beneficial for the food industry. He said that under the Food Authority Act, the PFA was empowered to check and regulate food related items. He mentioned that the authority had the full backing of Shahbaz Sharif, the Punjab Chief Minister and by the end of this year, the plan is to expand its operations throughout the province. To cover this expansion, around 700 food technologists are going to be employed by the PFA, he said. He added that meat slaughtering houses also come in the category of food processing, hence it falls under the dominion of the PFA.
LCCI President Abdul Basit while speaking on the occasion, mentioned that the value of global food trade amounted to $300b and by taking a 10pc share of it, the export proceeds can be increased to $30b. He also mentioned that the PFA needed to draft a guideline for the food businesses and workers of the industry, and professional training needs to be provided before making any raids and closing down food businesses.
Basit said that while drafting any policies, the PFA should take the business community into confidence, whereas the LCCI should also be provided granted seats in the authority’s Board of Directors.
