PFA discards 15,833-litre adulterated milk

LAHORE : Punjab Food Authority launched a province-wide crackdown on adulterated milk on Friday. The teams of the provincial food regulatory body tested the quality of milk in each district of Punjab at different points.

The dairy safety teams set up checkpoints at various entrance and exit points of the City. Punjab Food Authority discarded 5,751 litre tainted milk being carried on 37 vehicles from different farmhouses and factories. Throughout the province, Punjab Food Authority discarded a total of 15,833 litres adulterated milk, whereas, the samples for tests were taken from 313,000 litre milk being transported in 1929 vehicles. The adulterated milk was being preserved by huge blocks of ice in containers.

The authority discarded thousands of litres of adulterated milk after it was proved that harmful chemicals, powder, polluted water, urea and water were mixed in it for the purpose of thickness and to increase the quantity of milk.

The Punjab Food Authority Director General has directed the food safety teams to accelerate the crackdown launched on adulterators for bringing down the immoral practice of milk adulteration in Punjab.

He hoped the week-long checking at checkpoints, along with other methods of checking, would decrease the malpractice. Meanwhile, Punjab Food Authority unearthed another cold store in the surrounding areas of Gujranwala and seized more than 210,000 rotten eggs.

The operation was carried out after six days of careful observations made by the PFA Vigilance Cell. The authority discarded the putrid eggs at a dumping site located Lakhodair. So far, the food regulatory body has dumped more than three million rotten eggs after confiscating them from various cities of Punjab, including Lahore, Chichawatni, Sahiwal, Sheikhupura.

Meanwhile, Food Minister Samiullah Chaudhry said that these rotten eggs through a corrupt channel were being added to the diet of people. He praised the efforts of Punjab Food Authority and it had developed and implemented a comprehensive policy on the permanent ban on hatchery eggs.

According to this policy, no sale and purchase of hatchery eggs will be made in the market. The minister said no cold store in the province would be allowed to store rotten eggs. He lauded Punjab Food Authority Director General Captain (R) Muhammad Usman and his entire team for the successful disposal of the rotten eggs.

Social responsibility moot: International conference on “Social Responsibilities and World Religions” will start at a private university in collaboration with Punjab Higher Education Commission today (Saturday).

Federal Minister of Religious Affairs Noorul-Haq Qadri will be the chief guest of the opening session whereas Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi will be the chief guest of the concluding ceremony. The university’s Deputy Chairman Dr Hasan Mohiud-din will deliver the opening speech. Eminent scholars from Pakistan, Thailand, Australia, Sri Lanka and Nigeria will present their thesis. Students of public and private universities will attend the conference. The conference will conclude on 21 October.