18 food outlets sealed

LAHORE: Punjab Food Authority (PFA) on Tuesday sealed 18 different food outlets while conducting raids on thousands of food businesses throughout the province and imposed Rs 0.368 million fine on 55 business operators and issued warning notices to 2,000 outlets.

PFA in Lahore sealed six food points. Two beverages production units were sealed in Mareedabad and Defence Road for producing fake soft drinks of famous brands, using PFA logo and artificial flavours for developing taste. The raiding teams confiscated refilled 1,000 bottles, seven cylinders, three filing machines, three chemical drums and a compressor during raids on both sites. The PFA sealed two water filtration plants for not installing RO filtration system and on charges of misbranding in Faisal Town and Allama Iqbal Town in separate raids. Besides, the teams have closed milk shop at College Road and hotel in Shadman market over poor hygiene, adulteration in milk, presence of insects and other issues.

PFA sealed eight food premises in south Punjab during its ongoing drive of checking food outlets in Ramazan bazaars and open markets. Out of eight, four each food points were closed down in Multan and DG Khan divisions including ice cream unit and dairy factories. Two sweet shops and soda water units were shut in Gujranwala for using non-food grade colour and selling low quality sweets. A team of PFA sealed a juice corner in Sargodha over unhygienic working environment.

During a province-wide crackdown, the PFA’s watchdogs have issued fine tickets of Rs 52,000 to six FBOs in Lahore, Rs 43,000 fine on five shops in Rawalpindi, Rs 28,000 fine on four eateries in Sargodha, Rs 82,000 fine on 13 FBOs in Gujranwala, Rs4,000 fine in Faisalabad and Rs90,000 fine on 11 food points in DG Khan.

A huge quantity of substandard products was also discarded during an operation including 444-litre fizzy beverages, 2000 packs of Gutka, 53-kg salanty, 408-litre expired energy drinks, 60-kg loose cream, 40-litre adulterated milk, 160-kg substandard sweets and other products. The PFA is fully committed to ensuring hygiene food in Punjab as per “Healthy Punjab” mission under its slogan “From Farm to Fork”.

UVAS new academic block opens: A state-of-the-art building, Biosciences Academic Block, constructed a cost of Rs 90 million, was inaugurated at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) here on Tuesday.

Punjab Planning and Development Board Chairman Muhammad Jehanzaib Khan inaugurated the new block comprising a lecture theatre, three lecture rooms, a seminar hall, eight laboratories, an amphitheatre and faculty offices. The building was completed in 16 months.

UVAS Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Talat Naseer Pasha, Faculty of Bio-sciences Dean Prof Dr Habib-ur-Rehman and a large number of faculty members, students and administrative staff were present on the occasion.

Jehanzaib Khan said the UVAS had become a hub of veterinary education through its quality education and research. He said it was direly needed to focus on knowledge creation, which was the main source of development. He suggested the UVAS developed strong links with private sector for promotion of livestock and other related sectors, entrepreneurship and economic development. He said students’ research thesis should focus field problems for community development.

Prof Pasha spoke about various UVAS laboratories, disease diagnostics and clinical services, consultancy and advisory services and livestock professional dairy training.