Daily Times

Reputed name in Bakery Industry of Pakistan having more than 6 branches in Islamabad & Rawalpindi was accused of selling toxic food items unfit for health; Daily Times learnt from reported medical results by National Institute of Health (NIH). A food inspection team led by Director Food Islamabad raided Rahat Bakers a few days ago following public complaints of food poisoning.

A source in food department told that samples of food items collected from the bakers were later sent to NIH for medical inspection. The bakery items were found contaminated and unfit for health. Particular items like samosa and sandwich showed poor results and were delineated harmful for health according to the medical examination, the source added and complained calls from political leaders, ministers and bureaucrats to bury the actual facts and not go public on social media or mainstream media.

Director Food Islamabad Iqbal Yousaf while speaking with Daily Times told that the food situation inside the Capital, even in reputed hotels and bakeries, was poor and restaurants/hotels did not adopt safety measures while preparing foods. Consequently, the complaints of general public are increasing day by day. He added that we have increased visits to reputed restaurants as well as bakers to inspect quality of food for public health.

Administration warns sealing bakers not complying with health standards

When the news of Rahat Bakers’s below-the -standard poor results was posted on social media, various people shared their experiences of using different food items of the bakers. A Twitter handle Syed Ali Aqa shared his experience of inflicting first ulcerative colitis flare from eating Rahat bakers Sandwich. He appreciated Daily Times for highlighting the issues of general public. Another user added the following comments:

“[Had] [V]ery poor experience with Rahat G13 branch as no hygiene [food], the person making pizza was also collecting cash and making pizza without hair cap. The cheese is placed in freezer without any cover and contains snowflakes. The brownies I bought were also not fresh, too hard and having [had] fungus smell. Please never ever make a mistake to try it.”

The official of the food department told that they took the action as people complained various health issues from using the stuff of Rahat Bakers. When asked about the action against the accused, he replied that the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration will take stern action against the accused. When Daily Times contacted District Commissioner (DC) Islamabad Hamza Shafqat, he informed that soon the administration will take action against Rahat Bakers as per the food laws and the accused branches will be sealed in coming days.

Published in Daily Times, January 8^th 2019.