PFA launches operation against unhygienic food

Rawalpindi : The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) under the supervision of its Director General captain (r) Muhammad Usman Tuesday carried out a grand operation against unhygienic food points in Rawalpindi and its surrounding areas, sealed seven production units against multiple violations of Punjab Pure Food Regulations 2018.

Following the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, the authority carried out operation in order to eliminate the food adulteration before Ramadan. The operation continued for 26 hours long while food safety teams have inspected 17 food production units.

According to details, PFA officials sealed seven units, punished three food business operators with heavy fine , served the improvement notices to three eateries and stopped the production of four units by serving emergency prohibition orders to them.

Moreover, food authority confiscated as many as 94,045 kilogram unwholesome food including 40,530kg ‘daal’, 14,092kg substandard ‘nimko’, 17,775kg adulterated spices, 100,75kg poor quality rice, 7,220kg tamarind, 2,385kg chickpea flour, 720kg used oil, 703kg coloured lentils, 545kg ‘muraba’ (preserved fruits) and raw material.

Giving statistics, PFA DG Muhammad Usman said that PFA has raided KK Food Production Unit at Peshawar Road and sealed it due to preparing snacks with chickpea flour. A team of PFA also closed down a frying section of Wali Trader in Rawalpindi for preparing substandard quality ‘nimko’. However, the raiding team sealed 2,000 packets of ‘nimko’ in the warehouse of the unit for violating the PFA labelling law. In another raid, PFA sealed HB Foods owing to use loose oil. The team also shut down MB Rice Traders and grinding mill for selling chickpea flour. Raahat Bakers was sealed by PFA for using artificial flavours and loose colours.

He said The provincial food regulatory body closed down Kaleem Godown in Rawal Town over found expired tamarind and loose spices. In Attock, PFA closed down Top Poultry Limited for extracting oil from animals’ filth. Further, PFA also imposed emergency prohibition order on Khan Badshah and Umer Warehouse over failure to produce a record. The director general said that PFA has constituted a special task force to crackdown against adulteration mafia and to ensure the provision of healthy and standard food during Ramadan.