Banned fish seized, eateries fined

LAHORE: Punjab Food Authority (PFA) seized a huge quantity of recently banned Pangasius frozen fish which, it claimed, can cause serious health problems, from a big grocery store situated in Model Town.

Sources said the PFA’s late night raid at the store was a surprise for the store’s management as they were not expecting it. PFA sources claimed that PFA DG directly received a tip-off from an insider that 520 cartons of the banned fish were offloaded at the store after which he immediately constituted a raiding team and conducted the operation.

According to a PFA spokesman, traders had already been directed to stop selling Pangasius frozen fish as it was not suitable for human consumption. The PFA had sent samples of the frozen fish to an international laboratory for analysis and the lab report revealed that all Pangasius frozen fish samples were substandard. Therefore, the Punjab Food Authority advised the people not to use it.

PFA also made a public announcement in which it advised the citizens to avoid keeping this frozen fish in home freezer/fridge because it could poison other food items through cross-contamination.

PFA sources said during raid PFA team recovered 520 cartons of the fish stored in backside chillers of the fish section, which were immediately sealed and store’s administration was called at the PFA head office to explain their position.

The scribe also contacted the store administration to get their point of view over this issue on which they said that their first and foremost priority is the health of its customers; therefore, the store always ensures that it complies with country laws and follows quality protocol. That is one of the reasons why it has been certified as GFSI.” They said that in January 2018, when PFA announced the ban on sale of Pangasius, this store removed the entire stock of Pangasius from its selling area and till date it is not available for sale at any store.

“PFA visited the store in Model Town where they verified and found no Pangasius stock available on the display for sale. However, the stock of Pangasius was received because it could not had been returned the same day (it would have been spoiled); therefore, it was placed in the back-end chiller (freezer) so that it could be returned to supplier in the next couple of days. This is the reason why the store was never fined by Punjab Food Authority.

Also PFA has already accepted store’s request to release the stock so that it could be returned to supplier,” the store management added. To a question that why this stock landed at the store, they replied that “the stock that was received is old that was ordered when Pangasius was not banned and was placed in one of our Third Party Warehouse.

We intentionally received the delivery because we cannot return it to supplier until and unless we receive it in one of our stores and enter it in the system (as per company protocol). That is why the stock was placed in the back-end chiller (Freezer) and not for sale.”

The store management is very much aware that Pangasius is banned by PFA for health reasons; therefore, we will never try to sell such products to its customers until and unless the products meet PFA requirements, the management pledged.

Punjab Food Authority Director General Noorul Amin Mengal said that the store management explained the situation to him on which they were allowed to send back the stocks. He said PFA is acting as a watchdog for the health of general public and no negligence will be tolerated in this regard.

eateries: Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has initiated action against food points for not complying with the PFA food safety measures. Food safety teams, under the supervision of PFA Director General Noorul Amin Mengal, carried out late night surprise checking of various food points in the area of Shadman, Tuesday. Seven food points were fined Rs140,000 collectively for not using ‘Food Safety Kits’, officials said.

By the rise in atmospheric temperature, food handlers of many food points abandoned using basic Food Safety Kits which include, head covers, apron and gloves. Punjab Food Authority DG said the usage of ‘Food Safety Kit’ is compulsory by all means as it is one of the most basic rules of food safety and hygiene. Food workers and handlers should always use it while handling the food; otherwise, substantial action will be taken against their respective food businesses, he maintained.