ABBOTTABAD: In a significant development for food-related businesses in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Peshawar High Court’s Abbottabad Bench on Tuesday ruled that the province’s Food Safety and Halal Food Authority was the sole authority for inspecting food businesses and imposing fines on substandard and adulterated products.

The ruling comes as a relief to the members of the Haripur hotels and bakers’ associations, who had been protesting against the hefty fines regularly imposed on them by the district authorities and other government agencies.

The traders had filed a petition with the high court, seeking clarity on which department had the authority to conduct inspections and impose fines.

In its judgment, the high court ruled that the establishment of KP Food Safety and Halal Food Authority was solely meant to carry out inspections of food outlets and impose fines.

The court also declared that inspections carried out and fines imposed by the assistant commissioners were illegal.

The ruling is expected to streamline the inspection process and provide food businesses with greater clarity regarding compliance requirements.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2023