KARACHI: A meeting between the business community and officials of the Sindh Food Authority (SFA) was held at the Federal B Area Association of Trade and Industry (FBATI) during a visit by SFA Director General Shahzad Fazal Abbasi on Tuesday, with detailed discussions on food-sector laws, registration, inspections, penalties and other issues faced by businesses.
Addressing the meeting, FBATI President Sheikh Tahsin appreciated the SFA’s initiatives to educate the business community about food laws and regulations through training programmes and workshops. However, he said businesses are still facing several difficulties relating to product registration.
He said some businesses registered with the Sindh Food Authority are also required to register with food authorities in other provinces, including Punjab, creating hurdles for business activities.
Sheikh Tahsin also expressed concern over what he described as the discretionary imposition of fines by some SFA officials, including deputy directors and other relevant authorities. He stressed that penalties for negligence or violations at factories and outlets should be imposed strictly in accordance with the rules and on a uniform basis.
He appreciated the SFA’s introduction of e-registration for companies, saying the initiative has made the registration process easier for the business community. The FBATI president further said that, in some cases, an entire factory or business unit is sealed over negligence or violations in a single department, seriously disrupting business operations. He called for a special meeting between the SFA and food-sector businesses to remove ambiguities regarding standard operating procedures (SOPs), laws and their implementation.
Responding to the concerns, SFA DG Shahzad Fazal Abbasi said a special meeting for the business community will soon be convened to explain food laws, regulations and SOPs in detail.
He said businesses should not be required to register again with food authorities in Punjab or other provinces after obtaining registration from the Sindh Food Authority. He added that the matter will be taken up with the Punjab Food Authority director general in light of the relevant laws.
Abbasi said SFA inspection teams conducted detailed inspections of business premises before imposing penalties in accordance with applicable laws. He disclosed that the SFA has issued around 10,000 business licences in Karachi during the current year, while more than Rs30 million is deposited annually into the national exchequer through business licensing fees. Around Rs10 million is also deposited annually from Karachi through fines.
The SFA chief said a target has been set to register around 600,000 more food businesses and related establishments across Sindh. Efforts are under way to make the registration process easier and more effective.
He said the authority is also working to introduce an e-challan system and help desks to guide businesses on regulatory requirements, licensing and other matters.Abbasi rejected as completely false and baseless reports regarding an alleged incident involving the serving of donkey meat at a Karachi restaurant, saying the information circulated about the matter is incorrect.
He also said the SFA laboratory in Hyderabad, in addition to its Karachi facility, is being reactivated to strengthen the food-quality testing system.The SFA DG said action is being taken and fines imposed continuously against restaurants and other food outlets violating regulations concerning the use of Chinese salt.
He said enforcement of food-safety laws, along with creating awareness among businesses, remains among the authority’s key priorities.During the meeting, members of the business community pledged to continue cooperating with the Sindh Food Authority, saying industrialists and traders want to comply with laws to ensure the provision of safe and quality food. However, they stressed that transparency, uniform enforcement and proper guidance for businesses are equally essential for the effective implementation of the regulations.
