NEELUM VALLEY (Kashmur English): The Azad Kashmir food authority inspected food vendors in Sharda Bazaar yesterday during Ramadan, disposing of expired cooking oil, issuing fines to violators, and warning businesses to follow food safety standards.
During the holy month of Ramadan, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Food Authority kept its food item investigation campaign running. Shujaat Naqvi headed a team directed by Secretary of Food Authority Abdul Hameed Kayani to inspect the Sharda subdivision’s warehouses, general store, bakeries and food stalls with pakoras, samosas and jalebis for sale.
During the inspection, authorities found that the Total Polar Compounds (TCP) value of cooking oil and ghee at some locations exceeded safe limits. As a result, 10 litres of unhealthy oil were disposed of on the spot to ensure that the public had access to safe and high-quality food.
Multiple food business operators were found to have safety standards violations on their premises. Hygiene practices and food safety compliance guidelines were communicated to three shopkeepers through safety warning notices given to them. Every food business operating in the region must strictly follow the food safety guidelines specified by the team. Stated regulations lack compliance and this results in legal penalties.
Assistant Food Safety Officer Syed Majid Hussain Shah performed a thorough inspection of Sharda Bazaar together with his team on Sunday. Staff members inspected both everyday stores and bakeries together with vendors of fried products to evaluate the environmental health standards. Using an oil test meter, they examined the quality of the cooking oil used for iftar snacks.
Several businesses were found with poor sanitation and violations of Food Authority SOPs. As a result, multiple FBOs were fined a total of 3,000 rupees, while others were issued improvement notices. Public health requires food establishments to maintain strict food hygiene practices because the Food Authority team stated they would tighten their responses to repeat violators.
