PFA continues to deal food adulterators with iron hand

Rawalpindi

Fariha Anwar, Deputy Director of the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) in Rawalpindi in a crackdown imposed fines, made arrests and ordered closure of outlets serving unhygienic food to public. The concerned authority without any discrimination is taking action even against big brands like KFC, Fresco, Savour Food, Lasania etc.

She has caught 1,600 kilogram unhygienic meat and registered FIR against four people with the Waris Khan Police Station here on Wednesday. She registered FIR against Zahid Qureshi, Ishtiaq Masih, Muhammad Shabbir and Zohaib Hassan.

The teams of the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) one after another sealed and fined some famous eateries across the city, besides arresting 11 food adulterators and sealing 7 outlets in last couple of days.

Punjab Food Authority (PFA) Deputy Director Fariha Anwar personally raided and sealed famous Fresco Sweets, imposed fine of Rs500,000 against Savour Food. She has also imposed fine of Rs200,000 against KFC near Commercial Market branch and imposed fine of Rs75,000 against Lasania Hotel in Rawalpindi.

The raiding team also imposed fine of Rs70,000 against Bala Tikka near Banni, Rs55,000 against Akbar Hotel near Liaquat Bagh, Rs80,000 against Roylton Hotel and Rs50,000 against Labiak Restaurant for serving unhygienic food items to public.

Punjab Food Authority (PFA) Deputy Director Fariha Anwar told ‘The News’ that she is trying to assure safer and hygienic food items in hotels, bakeries, sweet shops, restaurants and other shops. “I will never spare anybody during crackdown and I will decide according to laboratory report,” she said. She said that we have sent food samples in laboratory tests and after final report I took action.

She said that they have also confiscated 3,000 litres of oil from different shops and wasted 200 kilogram sweets from different sweet shops. “I have issued notices to schools and colleges canteens to boost up their food quality otherwise I will start registering FIRs against responsible people, she warned.

She said that PFA is also taking action against ghee and cooking oil factories on priority basis. “Public should avoid ghee and cooking oil of Sufi, Talu, Soya Supreme, Shan Cooking Oil, Ghani Cooking Oil, Shah Taj Cooking Oil, Sufi Sun Flower, Soya Supreme, Meyar Ghee, Kisan Vegetable, Maa Ghee, Sun Drop Ghee and Season. We have banned these ghee and oil factories after laboratory reports,” she claimed.

She said that a crackdown against dairy milk has begun from Wednesday. The milkmen are supplying unhygienic milk to public, and they would not be spared at any cost, she said.

Inspection teams collectively imposed fines amounting to Rs130,000 during surprise raids in a week. Three ‘nimko’ processing factories were also sealed in Rawalpindi.  FIRs are registered under Pure Food Act and Section 269 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

She said that operation against food adulterators would continue in the coming days and it would be a regular feature in future. She said that violations which were noticed include washroom in production area, dirty kitchen, dirty and unmanaged freezers, leftover food, food left in open, spider webs, dirty ingredient boxes, poor personal hygiene of staff, unvaccinated staffers, and substandard ingredients in recipes among others.

“The twin cities administration should follow the way the PFA is cracking down on outlets selling unhygienic food in Lahore and other districts of the Punjab,” Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said while chairing a meeting at the ministry.

The reliable sources said that All Pakistan Cooking Oil and Ghee Mills Association are going to strike for an indefinite period against crackdown of Punjab Food Authority (PFA).