LAHORE :The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) continued a crackdown on milk adulteration mafia in different parts of the City for a second consecutive day on Friday, discarding 4,600 litre tainted milk.
Separately, the food authority shut down 24 food points and served notices on more than 200 food business operators for bringing improvement under the PFA Act. PFA Director General Irfan Memon said action was being taken to control the wicked practice of adulteration in food upon the special directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. He said that dairy safety teams checked milk by placing screening pickets on the entry and exit points of the City till late at night.
He said Punjab Food Authority disposed of adulterated milk which was contaminated with water, hazardous powder and other chemicals. He said that adulterated milk was injurious to health for consumers epically children and elders.
PFA inspects milk on a daily basis to ensure provision of pure milk to the consumers. “Adulterators are destroying our generation through adulteration in the staple food like milk,” he added.
Punjab Food Authority Gujranwala team sealed Babu Gee Super Store for selling expired food items, not paying fine fee and selling loose spices. A team of PFA Mandi Bhauddin raided Blund Dye Food Colour Industry and sealed it for not using filter water, not mentioning expiry and preserving food at foot level.
In Narrowal, Iqbal Salt Unit was sealed over contamination in red chilli and poor cleanliness arrangements.
Shahzad Beef Shop was sealed for not adopting cone slaughtering system, not covering meat properly and open sewerage system. In Sargodha, Punjab Food Authority sealed Punjab Chicken Shop over unhygienic conditions. The teams also shut down Naveed Karyana Store and Golden Brand Spices due to selling hazardous spices and non-compliance of instructions.
In another raid, the authority closed down Aziz Khoya Unit for producing adulterated khoya. Meanwhile, PFA’s watchdog teams sealed five retailers owing to adulteration, worst condition of hygiene and for selling tainted spices. PFA sealed Al-Farooq Food Café over using rancid oil, not having medical certificates and poor cleanliness arrangements.
PFA Layyah team sealed Al-Rafiq Foods for violation of labelling rules, selling spurious tea leaves and doing business without getting a licence. Al-Hussain Soda Water factory was sealed by PFA for misbranding and failing to produce the record.
Furthermore, PFA Bahawalnagar team closed down Maqsood & Farhan Desi Ghee over failure of food samples in a laboratory test, presence of abundance of insects and unhygienic conditions.
Two milk shops were sealed for selling tainted milk in Bahawalpur. Three sweets shops were sealed for using substandard ingredients, over presence of washroom in the production area, using artificial sweeteners and other violations.
The provincial food regulatory body also sealed two food points in the south region. P&D Dept lauded for nutrition plan: UNICEF Chief of Field Office Mr Willbroad Ngambi appreciated the efforts of the Punjab government planning and development department (P&D) for its ongoing nutrition and early childhood development programme.
The UNICEF expressed satisfaction in a review meeting chaired by Planning and Development Board Chairman Hamid Yaqoob Sheikh on UNICEF Nutrition Programme and Early Childhood Development.
During the briefing, Mr Wilbroad Ngambi appreciated the support of planning and development department and gave an overview of the initiatives undertaken to improve nutritional status of the community. He elucidated the improvement gauged through last MICS and NNS reports.
Mr Wilbroad emphasised on working along the life cycle approach for improving the malnutrition, controlling wasting and reduction in stunting. He informed that UNICEF had been supporting the multi-sectoral nutrition centre in the development and implementation of multi-sectoral nutrition strategy (MSNS), communication strategy and plans to address the multi-faceted issue of malnutrition.
Planning and Development Board Chairman Hamid Yaqoob Sheikh lauded the efforts and contribution made by UNICEF in areas of health and nutrition sector.
He reiterated that the role of international development partners was cornerstone in development activities and stressed upon integrated approach through multi-sectoral strategy by mapping of initiatives taken in the entire province.
He highlighted the need of revising provincial nutrition strategy. He expressed government's commitment to improve health and nutritional status of the community through evidence-based planning and effective implementation to see the results at the ground level. He directed the multi-sectoral nutrition centre (MSNC) to hold nutrition steering committee meeting and regularly review meetings of the relevant sectors.