Food company sealed, artificial sweeteners seized

LAHORE:Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has sealed a food manufacturing company and confiscated a huge cache of artificial sweeteners and corn syrup during an undercover operation here Thursday.

PFA Director General Irfan Memon supervised the operation carried out in the area of Thokar Niaz Baig. He said the action was taken against Venus Food Company for changing the labelling of expired products, poor storage, using expired flavours, chemicals, milk powder and corn syrup.

Meanwhile, hazardous vegetable oil was preserved in the prohibited non-food graded drums. He said the PFA’s enforcement team not only closed down the premises, but also confiscated 20,000kg artificial sweeteners; 3,000-litre corn syrup; 2,000kg white flour, vegetable oil, cake base and chemicals. Irfan Memon said that the violation of the hygiene principles by popular food producing companies is very regrettable.

The PFA team closed down eight food businesses over multiple violations, punished dozens of food business operators with Rs32,800 cumulative fine and served warning notices for improvement to more than 200 food outlets besides discarding thousands of kilograms unwholesome food.

In Rawalpindi, PFA sealed Salfi Nihari and Asif Traders for unhygienic conditions and selling expired carbonated beverages respectively. The team seized 2,100-litre expired drinks during the raid. The director general said that Rana Foods was closed down due to poor storing of rice and spices.

In another raid, Al-Rehman Darul Mahi was sealed for violations of PFA Act. PFA also warned 43 food business operators, asking them to improve hygiene conditions. PFA Gujranwala meat safety team sealed Mohsin, Bismillah and Mashallah Chicken shops for selling meat of emaciated birds, doing business without medical certificates, stinky environment and worst condition of hygiene. Meanwhile, the authority has penalised several FBOs with hefty fines over violation of the Act. In Faisalabad, PFA closed down Boom Boom Chicken Shop for not adopting cone slaughtering system, the presence of a bathroom in the working area, sealed Usman Traders due to selling adulterated and loose spices, sealed Sar Yaz Sip & Bite owing to the poor storage system and for using rotten eggs. PFA Toba team raided Shah Muhammad Gujjar Dairy and sealed it for selling substandard products. Apart from that, workers did not have medical certificates.

The PFA south region teams sealed three meat shops for presence of dead chicken, shut down Data Bakers and Zaitoon Bakers for using substandard ingredients and failing to produce food licences.

In Muzaffargarh, the PFA teams sealed Peer Ashiq Bakhsh Cream Separation unit and Moeen Ameen Milk Shop for removing the cream from milk, selling adulterated milk and failing to meet hygienic working environment. In Multan, PFA closed down Al-Barak Foods Private Limited and Al-Noor Foods for fake labelling and producing poor quality food for children.

Furthermore, PFA Bahawalpur team caught a fake milk-producing factory while taking action on the tipoff of its vigilance cell. PFA DG said that fake milk was being produced with vegetable oil, whey powder and hazardous chemicals. He said that it is a heinous crime to prepare fake milk with substandard material for minting money.