Five fake juice factories sealed

LAHORE: Punjab Food Authority continued its crackdown on adulterators across Punjab on Wednesday and sealed five factories producing juices of different popular brands.

The food regulatory body recovered 1,344 litres of hazardous juice, 525 litres of fake soft drinks and 5,300 empty boxes in raids. Five gas cylinders, three filling machines, a storage tank, fake labels and other raw material were confiscated. The authority discarded a huge quantity of loose colours and chemicals.

PFA Director General Captain (R) Muhammad Usman said the authority has shut down a factory in Muridke on charges of refilling bottles in different brands of carbonated drinks and making spurious bottles with chemicals and contaminated water. He said PFA has registered a case against the factory owner in the nearest police station.

Moreover, PFA’s officials have sealed Aftab Juice, Nadeem Juice and Kashif Juice in Sahiwal as well as Nadeem Ice Drink in Okara. He said PFA closed down all juice factories for preparing juices with artificial flavours, loose colours and chemicals. He said chemically contaminated juices were selling to different shops in the market in the name of juices after giving them attractive packaging.