Complain to the Sindh Food Authority About Unsafe Food: WhatsApp 0330-0116553 or Call 021-99336115

To complain about unsafe, stale or adulterated food in Karachi or other covered parts of Sindh, send it to the Sindh Food Authority (SFA) on WhatsApp at 0330-0116553, call the helpline 021-99336115, or file it in SFA's online Complaint Cell. You can also ask an SFA Food Safety Officer in writing to take a sample and send it to the public analyst, a right in section 17(6) of the Sindh Food Authority Act.

Bad milk, coloured spices and kitchens with rats are not just a matter of a bad meal. Selling unsafe food is a crime in Sindh. We read the Sindh Food Authority's website and the Sindh Food Authority Act 2016, published as Sindh Act XIV of 2017, on 20 October 2026.

SFA takes complaints on WhatsApp, by phone, by email and online

SFA's site lists four routes: WhatsApp complaints at 0330-0116553, the helpline 021-99336115, email at info@sfa.gos.pk, and an online Complaint Cell that needs a free account. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.

WhatsApp is the quickest because you can send proof at once. But a phone message can get lost. If the case is serious, send an email too, so there is a dated record.

Check that SFA covers your district first

SFA's FAQ says it began in Karachi Division and Larkana District, then added Hyderabad District in 2020, Mirpurkhas in 2021, and Sukkur and Shaheed Benazirabad Divisions in 2023. Its contact page lists district offices or contacts across these areas.

In Karachi, all seven districts, Central, East, West, South, Keamari, Malir and Korangi, are handled from the Clifton head office. Hyderabad has its own office at C-8, GOR Colony, on 022-9201897 and 022-9201898. If your town is not in an area SFA lists, the complaint may need to go to the district administration instead.

What to send so a Food Safety Officer can act

A complaint that names the place, the date, the food and the problem, with a photo and the receipt, is far easier to act on than "the food was bad". Keep a sealed sample if you can. Do not throw away the packet, because the label and batch number matter.

1. Write down the outlet's name, full address and the date and time you bought the food.
2. Take clear photos of the food, the label, the batch number and the expiry date.
3. Keep the receipt, or a screenshot of the delivery order.
4. Keep what is left in a closed, labelled bag in the fridge.
5. Send it all on WhatsApp to 0330-0116553 and note the time.
6. For a lab test, write to the Food Safety Officer under section 17(6) and ask for a sample to be sent to the public analyst.
7. If you or a family member fell ill, keep the doctor's notes and hospital bills.

A Food Safety Officer can take samples, seize food, seal premises, check licences and search vehicles carrying food, under section 17 of the Act. SFA's page on enforcement says it carries out routine and surprise inspections, tests products and imposes fines, suspensions and closures.

The law sets prison terms and fines up to Rs 1 million for most food offences

Under the Sindh Food Authority Act, selling adulterated food can bring up to six months in prison, a fine up to Rs 1 million, or both. Unsafe food that causes injury can bring three years and Rs 1 million. If it causes death or complete disability, the term can extend to life.

Most cases reach a court only on a written complaint by SFA itself, under section 45. That is why your complaint to SFA matters. If the food caused death or injury, the person harmed can also file a complaint directly in court. Prosecution must start within three years of the offence, or one year from when the complainant discovered it.

Outlets need an SFA licence, and you can see what that involves in getting a Sindh Food Authority licence. Packed products need registration as well, under the SFA product registration rules.

For a refund, go to the consumer court as well

An SFA complaint can lead to fines or a sealed kitchen, but it does not put money back in your pocket. To claim a refund or damages from the seller, use the Sindh consumer court route, which starts with a written notice to the seller.

The steps and the 15 day notice are set out in filing a Sindh consumer court complaint. Overcharging on notified prices is a separate matter for the price control officers, covered in reporting overcharging in Karachi. SFA's site also has a Home Food Testing page with simple tests for milk, ghee, turmeric, tea leaves, salt and coconut oil.

Common questions

What is the Sindh Food Authority WhatsApp number?

SFA's website lists 0330-0116553 for complaints on WhatsApp. The helpline is 021-99336115.

Can I ask SFA to test food from a shop?

Yes. Section 17(6) lets any person apply in writing to a Food Safety Officer to take a sample from a food operator and have it analysed by the public analyst.

Does SFA cover all of Sindh?

Its FAQ lists Karachi Division, Larkana, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, and Sukkur and Shaheed Benazirabad Divisions. Check whether your district falls in those areas.

What is the punishment for selling adulterated food in Sindh?

Up to six months in prison, a fine of up to Rs 1 million, or both, under section 26 of the Sindh Food Authority Act.

Can I take a restaurant to court myself?

Only if the food caused death or injury. Otherwise a court takes up a food offence on SFA's written complaint, under section 45.

Will SFA get me a refund?

No. SFA enforces food safety. For a refund or damages, file in the Sindh consumer court.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

We read SFA's home page, contact page, FAQ, enforcement page, Home Food Testing page and Complaint Cell login, and the Sindh Food Authority Act 2016 PDF on SFA's site, on 20 October 2026. We did not file a test complaint, so we could not check how fast SFA replies, and SFA does not publish a reply time. The Act copy we read may not show later amendments.