KARACHI: The Sindh Food Authority (SFA) on Monday seized hundreds of kilograms of hazardous khoya near the City Courts that had arrived by train from Punjab and was destined to be sold across the city through 12 outlets, which had also been sealed, officials said.

“The SFA teams have seized around 1,800kg of a substance produced with the help of dangerous chemicals and it is made up in a manner that it gives the appearance of and smells like khoya,” said Abrar Shaikh, director of operations of the SFA while speaking to Dawn.

Officials in the government said an SFA team intercepted a vehicle full of khoya-like substance near the City Courts when it was en route to the shops where the stuff was to be sold.

The officials said the stuff had come by train from somewhere in Punjab and was picked up from the Cantonment Station by the driver. The team, which intercepted the vehicle, then took the driver to the Khoya Bazaar in Juna Market near Lea Market where it sealed 12 shops.

“This stuff was to be given to these shops from where it would have been sold across the city,” said a deputy director of the authority, who had led the operation.

The shopkeepers fled after spotting the van driver along with the SFA officials.

The driver was allowed to go after he told the SFA team that his job was to get the stuff from the Cantonment Station and give it to those shops in Juna Market.

The operation created panic in the bazaar, where many shopkeepers said they would be meeting soon and would make sure that sale of the hazardous khoya was completely banned.

Mr Shaikh said the shops would be de-sealed only after the errant shopkeepers submit undertaking in writing that they would not sell it in future. “Our teams would be visiting those shops again and would permanently seal those shops which were found to be involved in this practice again,” he added.

Officials said the khoya-like substance was made up of deadly chemicals, which could cause a variety of cancers and diseases to those who consumed it.

“The cheaper stuff coming from Punjab is preferred by these shops to the expensive khoya supplied from other districts of the province.

“Real khoya does not put human life in danger even if it is partly expired, but this stuff is lethal in all respects,” an official in the health ministry said.

It is commonly used in making sweets, desserts and confectionery.

Mr Shaikh said the seized substance was destroyed the same evening.

He, however, said so far the SFA had no contact with its counterpart in Punjab about the supply of such stuff from there.

The SFA said its action would continue in every sector of the food business to ensure people were provided with healthy foodstuff across Sindh.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2018