MARKET DEVELOPMENT
PSQCA Clarifies Regarding Vegetable Ghee, Cooking Oil
PSQCA Clarifies Regarding Vegetable Ghee, Cooking Oil
29/12/2016 (Pakistan Observer) - Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) is the sole National Standards Body (NSB) of Pakistan. It is mandated under the PSQCA Act VI of 1996 to check the quality of products declared mandatory and bring them under compulsory certification through SROs. Presently 108 products stand declared as ‘mandatory’, including Edible Cooking Oil and Ghee.
PSQCA regularly monitors the quality of these 108 items as per PSQCA Act VI of 1996 and Pakistan Conformity Assessment Rule 2011. A complete mechanism has been put in place for monitoring the quality of these products through quarterly inspections of manufacturing units and market surveillance. Samples of products are also taken from the open market and sent for testing to labs for analysis in accordance to the Pakistan Standards Specifications.
Recently, Punjab Food Authority (PFA) declared various cooking oil and ghee brands as unfit for human consumption, after examining the samples which were collected during market survey,and have indicated the absence of Vitamin A and rancidity, artificial flavour addition and other acid values in these samples, in a public notice issued by the Authority,in different newspapers on November 27.
Following this, Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority, in the light of its statutory mandate initiated a fresh drive for verification by re-inspection (in accordance with ISO/IEC 17065) and retesting of samples cooking oil and Banaspati Ghee produced by the said manufacturing units, from 3rd party accredited labs (ISO/IEC 17025) which were declared unfit by the Punjab Food Authority.
All the brands/articles of edible oil and ghee (i.e., Shan, Momin, Kashmir, Ghani, Sufi, Olio Premium, Season, Sundrop, Smart, Shah Taj, Soya Supreme, Koko, Miyar, Salva Spanish, Tallu, Maan, Naaz, Kissan and Malta) were rechecked and re-tested for Quality as per Pakistan Standards for critical test parameters (i.e., Free Fatty Acids, oil’s peroxide value, Iodine Value and Vitamin A). The samples were tested by Quality Control Center-PSQCA Laboratories and then got re-tested from PCSIR Laboratories.
PSQCA regularly monitors the quality of these 108 items as per PSQCA Act VI of 1996 and Pakistan Conformity Assessment Rule 2011. A complete mechanism has been put in place for monitoring the quality of these products through quarterly inspections of manufacturing units and market surveillance. Samples of products are also taken from the open market and sent for testing to labs for analysis in accordance to the Pakistan Standards Specifications.
Recently, Punjab Food Authority (PFA) declared various cooking oil and ghee brands as unfit for human consumption, after examining the samples which were collected during market survey,and have indicated the absence of Vitamin A and rancidity, artificial flavour addition and other acid values in these samples, in a public notice issued by the Authority,in different newspapers on November 27.
Following this, Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority, in the light of its statutory mandate initiated a fresh drive for verification by re-inspection (in accordance with ISO/IEC 17065) and retesting of samples cooking oil and Banaspati Ghee produced by the said manufacturing units, from 3rd party accredited labs (ISO/IEC 17025) which were declared unfit by the Punjab Food Authority.
All the brands/articles of edible oil and ghee (i.e., Shan, Momin, Kashmir, Ghani, Sufi, Olio Premium, Season, Sundrop, Smart, Shah Taj, Soya Supreme, Koko, Miyar, Salva Spanish, Tallu, Maan, Naaz, Kissan and Malta) were rechecked and re-tested for Quality as per Pakistan Standards for critical test parameters (i.e., Free Fatty Acids, oil’s peroxide value, Iodine Value and Vitamin A). The samples were tested by Quality Control Center-PSQCA Laboratories and then got re-tested from PCSIR Laboratories.