PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority has disposed of 1,590 litres of substandard cooking oil following a province-wide inspection campaign conducted under the government’s Ramazan Plan, officials said on Friday.
According to the authority, 165 samples of used cooking oil were tested during the one-day drive. Of these, 25 were declared unsafe for consumption, while 140 met food safety standards. Heavy fines were imposed on violators, and warning notices were issued to several food outlets.
The special campaign was carried out in coordination with district administrations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Inspection teams visited hotels, kebab shops, samosa and pakora stalls, street food vendors and other outlets involved in preparing fried food items.
Mobile food testing laboratories were deployed to conduct on-the-spot analysis of cooking oil quality. Officials said the immediate disposal of unsafe oil was aimed at preventing potential health risks to consumers during Ramazan.
District-wise action
The authority reported disposal of 260 litres of substandard oil in Peshawar, 229 litres in Swat, 222 litres in Mansehra, 141 litres in Nowshera and 117 litres in Haripur. Additional quantities were discarded in Lower Dir (114 litres), Swabi (99 litres), Malakand (95 litres), Khyber (57 litres), Karak (53 litres), Mardan (42 litres), Charsadda (34 litres), Kohat (33 litres), Abbottabad (32 litres), D.I. Khan (30 litres), Lower Chitral (24 litres) and Bannu (8 litres).
Director General Kashif Iqbal Jilani said ensuring the availability of safe and quality food remains a priority in line with the provincial government’s directives. He stated that action against adulteration and food safety violations would continue throughout the holy month.
The authority also urged citizens to report complaints related to substandard food items to enable timely enforcement action.
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