Punjab Food Authority sets example with ‘no slack’ attitude

LAHORE: Punjab Food Authority (PFA) emerged as an exemplary institution in the country for exposing the unethical and unhealthy practices of corporate food processors, five star hotels, and multinational food chains.
With the support of the civil society, the PFA has banned sales of various processed food products that were found substandard after transparent testing processes. Some tomato ketchup brands were forced to suspend their production and sales. A few well known processors of mango, apple and other juices were removed from shelves in retail outlets and their further production banned.
Similarly, branches of many famous bakery outlets were sealed after unearthing malpractices that included marketing spoiled products, failing to protect the food items from flies, and not imparting hygiene responsibilities to their employees.
The PFA did not spare five star hotels either and imposed heavy fines on them for maintaining dirty kitchens, storing used food, and keeping refrigerators filthy.
Headed by Ayesha Mumtaz, the PFA is operating transparently and is providing photographic evidence of the filth and unhealthy conditions not only in five star hotels but also in mid level famous outlets where the dinner or lunch bill is the same as in big hotels or higher.
The Restaurant Association in Punjab has vowed to stage a protest against this alleged high “handedness of PFA”. Civil society activists have rallied behind the PFA head.
“The PFA has exposed massive exploitation in the food sector by one and all,” said social Worker Dr Kishwar Dhingra. Instead of being ashamed of exploiting and cheating the consumers, those nabbed red handed have decided to strike back through protests. She asked them to take cue from an American fast food outlet located at MM Alam Road, Lahore and apologise for violating food rules and regulations. In fact, the American food outlet has informed PFA that it is dispatching a team from USA to confront the franchise holder and ensure that food laws are not violated. “This should be the spirit,” she said, adding that the move to make improvements in food sector should be appreciated, instead of lodging protests.
Nutritional expert Tahir Ahmad said that no restaurant should violate rules relating to the quality, storage, and serving of the food to the consumers. He said all processed foods, including the cakes or bread should have printed manufacturing and expiry date on the packing.
These, he added include, all jams and jellies, milk and it products, chocolates and sweets, tomato ketchup and fruit juices.
He said employees working in food outlets should be healthy and not suffering from any infectious diseases. They should be neatly dressed and cover their heads with a cap or scarf if servicing food. He said their nails should be cut and clean.
He said the storage of food should be proper. The disposal of filth should be in clean and covered bins. There should be no leakage of sewerage near the place where food is stored and served. He said if these precautions are taken, the PFA would not penalise most of the food outlets or processors.
Ahmad said one famous dairy processor was penalised because it was cheating the consumers by claiming its product to be milk while it was actually a tea whitener and not milk.
He said it is the duty of the food authority to ensure that consumers are not cheated in supply, consumption, and quality of food.
He said the food authority has been established under the Punjab Food Authority Act 2011 to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption. The basic purpose is to lay out standards for food articles and to regulate their manufacturing, storage, distribution, sale, and import.
This law, Ahmad said, authorised the PFA to ban any violators, including a salt processing plant using substandard rock salt, and egg processing plant where 720,000 rotten eggs were found.
“In my belief, it is better to quit the job rather than show leniency on enforcement of rules and regulations,” said Ayesha Mumtaz while talking to media.
She asserted that no pressure has been exerted on her to stop the raids on violators of food laws.