ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior on Friday approved The Islamabad Capital Territory Food Safety Bill 2019.

The committee chairman, Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz, did not take up any other agenda item in protest against constant absence of minister and interior secretary from the committee meetings.

However, the committee meeting, held in the Parliament House, approved the bill which was moved by Ali Nawaz Awan.

The bill is aimed at checking whole chain of food items from raw material to its sale

The basic objective of the bill is to keep a check on whole chain of food items from raw material to its sale and even from production to the sale points.

The Pure Food Ordinance 1960 is currently applicable in Islamabad which does not even prohibits the sale of cooked food like samosas, pakoras, etc., in envelops made of newspapers.

The Islamabad Capital Territory Food Safety Bill 2019 has described that ‘food” means anything whether processed, semi processed, raw or cooked and used as food adulterant for human consumption other than drugs defined in the Drug Act 1976.

Food includes any substance intended to be used in composition or preparation of food, flavours and colouring materials in food, chewing gum, confectionery and other products, water in any form, including ice directly consumed by human or use in the preparation of food.

The bill defines ‘Adulterated Food’ as edible items being sold that contains poisonous or other ingredient that are injurious to health and the food items that do not match the prescribed standards of the law or which are prepared, packed or kept under unhygienic and insanitary’ conditions.

The bill after approval will allow the establishment of a food authority as well as food laboratory under the ICT administration.

The food authority will not only have the powers to set up food laboratories but accreditation of private sector food lab too.

Currently all food samples are sent to the labs of NIH and the PARC for confirmation of food adulteration.

The bill defines that the food authority director will be the chief executive officer of the authority and responsible for effective implementation of the food law.

The bill has also enhanced penalties for the violation of food related law and any person selling adulterated food can be awarded six months imprisonment or fine up to Rs1 million or both.

For commercial manufacturing, storing, sale or distribution of substandard or misbranded food items will be liable to six months imprisonment or Rs1 million fine or both.

The Bill has also described punishments resulting from consumption of “unsafe food” and if there is no health issue after consuming unsafe food the seller will be liable to six month imprisonment or Rs1 million fine or both.

If unsafe food consumption results in injury to any person the punishment can be extended to three years or fine up to Rs1 million or both.

If such unsafe food results into death of a person, the punishment is life imprisonment or fine up to Rs5 million but not less than Rs3 million or both.

The new bill has determined compensation to the consumer or the legal heirs of the consumer of Rs1 million in case of death, up to Rs500,000 in case of injury and if the food operator fails to pay the compensation the authorities will recover the compensation by selling the assets of the food outlet.

The bill will be presented to the National Assembly and after getting approved from the lower house it will be forwarded to the Senate for approval.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2019