ISLAMABAD, April 5: The government has banned non-branded ghee and cooking oil and has given 15 days to the registered companies to meet the minimum requirement of 35 per cent soft oil content in their products besides other quality standards.

“We would inspect the factories and close them down if their testing laboratories are not fully functional or fail to conform to nine tests of Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority (PSQCA),” senior joint secretary and official spokesman for the industries ministry Shakeel Ahmad told a news briefing.

The announcement comes at a time when the chief executive secretariat has directed all the ministries to build government image through regular briefings to the media. Shakeel, however, denied any link between the ministry’s move and the CE secretariat’s directive, saying it was almost two months now that the government started quality control on ghee and cooking oil in the public interest.

He said the ratio of soft oil (canola, sunflower, soyabean and safflower) and hard oil (palm oil) should be 35:65 because hard oil contained stearin with higher melting point which beyond this was a health hazard and was in fact meant for soap manufacturing.

He said that out of a total 94 registered brands, around 12 have been blacklisted by the PSQCA but two or three of them have disputed the decision which needed to be re-verified. Names of these companies would be advertised in the public interest soon once counter-examination was completed.

He said that six-member committees have been constituted in all the provinces for random inspection and testing for a final closure of substandard products. The committees comprise a deputy secretary industries of the federal government, and representatives of National Institute of Health (NIH), provincial health and industries departments, PSQCA and the local district coordination officer (DCO).

Mr Shakeel said that unorganised and unregistered sector was filling palm oil directly in the packets and tins which they import around Rs5,000 per ton lower than soft oil and was imported for soap manufacturing.

He said at least nine compulsory tests under the PSQCA laws were required at the factory premises but the testing labs normally remain out of order.

In the second phase of consumer protection and quality control campaign, the ministry’s spokesman said that all the companies would be required to make their special insignia on the tins and bottles and display minimum health standards, manufacturing and expiry date and the contents the tin contained. Those not meeting these requirements would be blacklisted, he said.