14th Food Safety and Quality Conference 2023 was organized by Consumer Association of Pakistan (CAP), Chief Guest of the event was Provincial Secretary Food Sindh Raja Khurram Shahzad Umar, while on this occasion, Chairman Consumers Association of Pakistan Kaukab Iqbal, Malaysian Consul General Harmain Hardiyanata Ahmed, Naheed Supermarket Director Munsab Abrar, Samra Munsab Director Samrah Enterprises, Head of Department Q&N Flavors Muhammad Azam Khan, Tahseen Ahmed Qazi Director Operation COTHM, Vice President Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Council Sindh Advocate Javed Ahmed Chhatari , Chairperson Women’s Wing and others were also present. Addressing the conference, Provincial Food Secretary Sindh Raja Khurram Shahzad Umar said CAP should also be represented in the Sindh Food Authority because the Consumer Association of Pakistan has been working for the rights of the consumer since long and its slogan is “Jaag Saarif Jaag”.
He said that there is a need to solve consumer problems all over the world. Because most of the consumers do not know their rights, due to which they buy and use fake and unhealthy food and drinks, which harms their health. Raja Khurram Shahzad Umer said that seminars, walks and festivals should be held to educate consumers about their rights so that consumers can get full awareness about food while speaking on the occasion, Chairman Consumer Association of Pakistan Kaukab Iqbal said that the purpose of Consumers Association of Pakistan is to provide awareness to the consumer about their rights Because the consumers buy the items from the shops and the stalls just because they are cheaper, which is very harmful to their health, he said that the consumers do not see the expiry date of the items while purchasing them, nor do they get the bill from the shopkeeper, which is the reason the shopkeeper does not pay full taxes to the government. Kaukab Iqbal said that the people who play with human lives are national criminals, they should be severely cracked down on in the whole country and they should be punished according to the law. Fake medicines are also sold and they should be punished according to the law.
He said that after the recent floods, wheat, rice, pulses and other crops have been severely damaged due to which many lakhs of people in Pakistan are suffering from malnutrition, including a large number of innocent children. Addressing at Consumers Food Safety and Quality Conference, Malaysian Consul General Herman Hardinata Ahmad said that the services rendered by the Consumer Association of Pakistan (CAP) for the rights of consumers are commendable. There is a large market which can be scaled up further Harman Hardinata Ahmed said that most of the consumers in Pakistan do not have information about their rights for which consumers need to self-educate while speaking on the occasion.
Mansab Abrar, CEO of Naheed Supermarket, said that food is an essential part of our body. Naheed Supermarket is the second largest institution in Pakistan implementing the principles of food safety, which has been established for 50 years. He said that Naheed Supermarket sells quality products to customers. Munsab Abrar said that every item sold in markets and shopping centers should be integrated with the Pakistan Standards Quality Control Authority system. So that the products that are being sold are of a quality that can save human lives from fake and unhealthy products. The health of innocent children to the elderly has been severely affected.
Munsab Abrar said that there is a need to work against the mafia that manufactures substandard and harmful health products and sells them in the markets. He said that modern technology should be used in the preparation of food so that there is no harmful food and drink which is harmful to the health of the consumer while addressing the conference Director of Operations of Gotham Institute Tahseen Ahmed Qazi said that Gotham Institute has provided thousands of young boys and girls. Providing quality food preparation training so that they can become good chefs and prepare and sell food products in accordance with health norms which will not affect the health of the consumers and keep them healthy. Vice President Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Council Sindh Advocate Javed Ahmed Chhattari said that the Chairman Cap Kaukb Iqbal is an honest person and loves the common consumer and he should sell the products in Pakistan.
All the products should be of standard, the consumers do not have to compromise. After that Sindh Food Authority was established while 26 consumer courts have been established across Sindh through which consumers can get their rights while defending their rights has also become possible. Presented which included various types of cakes and others which were highly appreciated by the conference participants and the judges selected the first, second and third place chefs for best taste who were also awarded with awards and cash prizes.
