Although I trade in about twenty types of foods and can benefit from selling expired foodstuffs if the person at the helm of the authority Public Authority for Food Nutrition (PAFN) turns a blind eye in exchange for a small bribe, I must remember that I consume double the amount of food sold by others.
I say this because the head of the PAFN is the watchdog over what we consume and that he must not be complacent in the performance of his task and not be carried away by material benefits because the expired or spoiled foodstuffs if goes unnoticed and allowed to be sold in the market in exchange for a small sum in the form of bribe may end up in his own stomach or in the stomach of a member of his family days later, which he will not be able to control when the health deteriorates and the money he received in bribe will not come to his rescue.
The law was issued to establish the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition (PAFN), in its confusing name got the nod after an unjustified delay for decades.
PAFN has become necessary because of the fraud and tampering with the production dates, packaging and storing foodstuffs, both locally and internationally. What we push down our throats has a direct and dangerous effect on our mental, physical and psychological health, especially since cheating by adding substances to any food product in the name of ‘improvement, colors and appetizers’ has become a worrisome factor and an international crime.
A few days ago, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of PAFN along with the authority’s general manager put down their resignations and since then this vital position remains vacant.
It is possible for those who assume this position to amass wealth to his satisfactions and the satisfaction of the others if the government fails to put the right man in the right place and bows to the desires of the deputies or influential people.
It is therefore important to be very careful in choosing a person to replace the outgoing official, and for the new government, which has already shown its flimsiness. We don’t want parachute appointments through an intermediary, because the issue is sensitive, the health of an entire population should not be an area for complacencies and buying loyalties.
Dr. Reem Al-Fulaij, Deputy and acting Director General, is considered one of the best competencies in her field, and Dr. Zikra Behbehani, Deputy General Manager is equally competent and experienced, and the new president and general manager should not be appointed from outside the authority, and if it happens, it will be a disaster, technically, morally and administratively.
email: [email protected]
By Ahmad alsarraf
