Eight food outlets sealed

LAHORE: Punjab Food Authority’s enforcement teams have closed down eight renowned food businesses, including fish point, restaurant, three chicken shops and a bakery here on Sunday.

All food points were sealed over failure to meet hygiene working environment and for violating the rules of PFA Act, officials said adding PFA Director General Captain (R) Muhammad Usman said that PFA has sealed Siddique Fish Point, located at Scheme Morr, for frying fish in substandard and rancid oil. Food safety team also discovered the worst condition of the shop during the raid. They added that Al-Fazal Restaurant was sealed due to poor hygiene, the presence of expired products and over non-compliance with PFA’s instructions. Further, an enforcement team raided a famous bakery (Rahat Bakery) in Harbanspura and sealed it after recovering expired food items, including corn oil, juices, cola and energy drinks. Moreover, provincial food regulatory body shut down two paan shops for selling ‘gutka’ that is injurious to health and causes mouth cancer and other diseases. The PFA director general said that the sale of hazardous gutka is strictly banned under the ongoing campaign against it titled “Gutka-Free Punjab Mission”. PFA is taking strict action against gutka under zero-tolerance policy in Punjab. He said a visible change witnessed in restaurant industry concerning food safety standards and hygiene issues. Similarly, meat safety teams visited the Tollinton Market to inspect the meat quality and food safety standards that set for butchers and chicken shops. On the occasion, PFA sealed Bilal and Sons Chicken, Chaudhry Poultry Traders and Shop 64 on account of supplying poor quality meat to customers. The utmost priority of PFA is to ensure the provision of safe and healthy food for people in Punjab, he mentioned.