ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) organised a ‘safe meat butcher shops competition’ in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in order to strengthen food safety compliance by building the capacity of butchers in good hygiene practices.

The UN body also distributed model meat shop equipment to the 35 butcher’s shops, which were declared winners in the competition.

The competition was organised under the ‘project for agri-food and agro-industry development (PAFAID), funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and implemented by UNIDO in coordination with the government, says a press release issued by UNIDO on Friday.

The food safety compliance exercise was held at the butcher shops in the targeted districts of Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan, Abbottabad and Kohistan. The equipment provided to the winning shops included chillers, deep freezers, bone saw cutters, teflon sheets, meat mincing machines, digital weighing scales, insect killers, personal protective equipment and thermometers.

A joint committee consisting of UNIDO and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority officials had selected the most compliant butchers’ shops.

Food authority’s director general Shahrukh Ali and UNIDO project officer Dr Gabor Molnar distributed the model meat shop equipment to the winning butcher shops.

On the occasion, the slaughterhouse/abattoir investor’s guide was also launched, which aims to help investors navigate the unique mix of challenges present in the existing business environment. This will guide potential investors seeking to establish a modern and hygienic slaughterhouse/abattoir in Pakistan.

Shahrukh Ali acknowledged the efforts of UNIDO and JICA in improving the food safety standards across the meat value chain in KP.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2023