PFA seals 35 food businesses

LAHORE: Punjab Food Authority teams have sealed 35 businesses of Food Business Operators (FBOs) for selling poor quality edibles, adulteration, not maintaining hygienic working environment and not following food safety laws.

Food safety teams Tuesday under the supervision of food officers raided thousands of food points and imposed Rs810,000 fine on more than 108 FBOs. PFA’s watchdogs examined the quality of food, ingredients, food safety arrangements, use of food safety kits in order to ensure the implementation of provincial food law.Additional Director General (operations) Rafia Haider said that food teams sealed two food businesses, including beverages production unit and sweets production unit over multiple violations of provincial food laws in Lahore.

He said that beverages production unit on Barki Road was sealed for producing fake carbonated drinks using cosmetic colours, chemicals and substandard ingredients. She said that Chand Sweets production unit was sealed due to improper cleanliness arrangements, usage of chemical drums and abundance of insects in Walled City area.

She told that PFA Rawalpindi team also caught three factories for producing adulterated honey, spices, turmeric, pepper and bran (Chokar) during raid in the area of Hamilton Road, Ganj Mandi and Kot Sarang. Besides, a general store located at Murree Road was sealed for selling expired products.

Out of 29 sealing, 14 eateries sealed in Multan division, two in Sargodha, six in Gujranwala and seven in Dera Ghazi Khan and its adjacent areas. The raiding teams imposed fine on more than 108 food businesses, including Rs56,000 on six points in Lahore, Rs84,500 fine on 13 food outlets in Multan, Rs107,500 fine on 15 FBOs in Rawalpindi, Rs171,000 fine on 20 eateries in DG Khan and Rs391,000 fine on 54 outlets in Gujranwala and Sargodha for not complying with the instructions of the authority.

The teams confiscated a huge amount of several banned, adulterated and substandard products, discarded 52,035 packets of gutka, 22,100 kulfi piece (ice cream), 1,450kg substandard honey, 200kg turmeric, 2,500kg adulterated pepper, 1,540kg coloured bran, 900kg spices, 250kg toffees, 20kg coloured slanty, 5,490 sachets of different tobacco product, 40 litre water contaminated milk, 33kg sweets and other products.

The purpose of the drive was to ensure the sale of healthy and quality food in Punjab. Teams have directed various FBOs for getting food licence and served warning notices for improving their work as per food laws.

Meanwhile, Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has decided to depute quality manager and food safety officers in all Model and Ramazan Bazaars during the upcoming month of Holy Ramazan in order to ensure the provision of quality of food and standards.

In this connection, food authority has informed the departments concerned. PFA Director General Noorul Amin Mengal said that PFA would bear the all expenses of their deputed staff in Ramazan Bazaars. He said Quality Insurance Manager will be responsible for quality of essential commodities and Food Safety Officer will ensure the hygienic principles as per food safety standards and laws. PFA will deal the violators with an iron hand if found involved in violation of food safety laws, he mentioned.

Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has also decided to pull up socks against Food Business Operators (FBOs) who are running their businesses without getting food licence from authority. PFA will launch drive against them after completing deadline of final notice on April 31.

An official of PFA said that action will be taken against unregistered food business operators under section 32 of the Punjab Food Authority Act 2011. According to the law, authority shall impose fine which may extend to Rs0.5 million with imprisonment for one year, or both. PFA has warned all FBOs to obtain food licence and directed them for renewal of food licence who already got it.