More than 46.2% of pops and 33.3% of nimco samples in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) have failed to meet quality standards during laboratory testing, according to recent findings.
The K-P Food Safety and Halal Food Authority recently wrapped up a two-week testing initiative, marking the first-ever effort to evaluate the quality of pops, chips, and spices in the province. The campaign involved collecting 462 samples from manufacturing units across K-P for detailed quality checks.
As per the authority’s spokesperson, the samples included 175 pops, 24 nimco items, 160 seasoning powders, and 103 curry powders. Of the pops samples, 93 passed the quality checks, while 82 were found to be substandard. In the nimco category, 16 out of 24 samples were satisfactory, with eight falling short of the standards.
Similarly, 131 seasoning powder samples met the criteria, but 29 failed. For curry powder, 74 samples were satisfactory, while 29 did not meet the required quality benchmarks.
The results revealed that 46.2% of pops, 33.3% of nimco, 18.1% of seasoning powders, and 28.1% of curry powders were deemed substandard.
The evaluation process focused on key parameters such as moisture content, free fatty acids, total ash, peroxide values, packaging thickness, and aflatoxin levels. Advanced tools, including ELISA readers, proximate NIR machines, muffle furnaces, and digital screw gauges, were used during the testing.
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