PFA seals two factories for substandard production

LAHORE: Punjab Food Authority (PFA) Tuesday sealed two factories for supplying substandard and artificial flavours to adulteration mafia involved in making fake juices and fizzy carbonated drinks.

During this week, PFA has sealed more than 10 fake juice and cold drink factories over adulteration. This was informed by PFA Director General Noor-ul-Amin Mengal. He said that food safety teams raided QBC Fruit Base and Ashraf Fruit Base on the tip-off of PFA vigilance cell which were functional in the area of Sabzazar.

PFA has confiscated 2,500kg fruit base, later discarded. The teams rooted out rusted machinery which was being used in the preparation of adulterated products, and removed it to the warehouse. PFA DG said that chemically contaminated fruit flavour was prepared without using fruit. He said that the factories were found using the same formula in the preparation on which the vigilance cell mobilised it against them. Counterfeiters cannot save themselves from the authority, he mentioned.

Separately, PFA closed down 10 food businesses for not complying with the instructions of the authority and lacking multiple food hygiene issues during its crackdown on Food Business Operators (FBOs) and adulterators across Punjab. Whereas, the food safety teams raided thousands of different food points and examined the quality of food and ingredients which were being used.

The teams sealed one tobacco shop in Multan over selling banned tobacco item ‘gutka’, two food points in Faisalabad, three food businesses in Rawalpindi and four eateries in DG Khan Division, imposed Rs437,500 fine on 63 food businesses, including Rs160,500 fine on 23 shopkeepers in South Punjab, Rs26,000 fine on five FBOs in Rawalpindi, Rs27,000 fine in Faisalabad and Rs218,000 fine in Gujranwala on 105 outlets.

On minor violations, riding teams served warning notices on 2,000 food points for improvement in Ramazan Bazaars and open markets in all 36 districts of the province.

Meanwhile, a huge quantity of adulterated and unhygienic food items were discarded, including 607kg rotten vegetable and fruits, 240kg expired lemon juice, 44kg adulterated tea petal, 450kg chemical contaminated milk, 200kg substandard sweets, 45kg rancid oil, 30kg white flour, 50kg powdered milk, 217litre beverages, 1,014 sachets of gutka, 60kg adulterated pepper, and 21 chemical drums during raid.