Five jam making units sealed

LAHORE: Punjab Food Authority (PFA) launched a province-wide campaign to inspect Marabba (jam) manufacturing units on Wednesday, and sealed five units.

Punjab Food Authority teams inspected 43 Marabba manufacturing units in a daylong activity. They sealed five units and fined nine units for violating the rules of PFA Act. Punjab Food Authority director general Muhammad Usman said that three jam units were sealed in Multan and two in the provincial metropolis.

Punjab Food Authority issued fine tickets to three units in Rawalpindi and six jam manufacturing units in other districts. He said that Punjab Food Authority had confiscated and discarded 650kg poor quality Murabba, rotten fruits and chemicals.

Punjab Food Authority also issued warning notices to 22 units. Action was taken against the Murabba manufacturing units upon making the product by adding hazardous industrial chemicals to it and storing them in dirty blue drums.

The Punjab Food Authority director general said use of blue drum was strictly prohibited in the manufacturing of food. Meanwhile, Punjab Food Authority has decided to check the presence of toxic substances in fruits and vegetables as a result of toxic pesticides used to protect vegetables and fruits crops from insects and creepy-crawlies.

This decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Punjab Food Authority Director General Captain (r) Muhammad Usman. Muhammad Usman said PFA would prepare a comprehensive strategy for further proceeding in the light of laboratory report in collaboration with Agriculture Department. He said that strategy would help eliminate the effects of toxic pesticides in the fruits and vegetables.