12 food businesses sealed

LAHORE:Following the directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Punjab Food Authority (PFA) on Friday launched a province-wide grand operation to control the adulteration and forgery in the food industry.

During the operation, PFA has sealed 12 food businesses, including a famous sweets shop in Lahore on account of adulteration and poor cleanliness arrangements. In a bid to ensure the safety of food from production to consumption, PFA Director General Irfan Memon has led the operation in the provincial metropolis while directors and deputy directors of the respective districts in their jurisdiction.

PFA DG has sealed the production unit of Fazal Sweets & Bakers on Kacha Jail Road due to using substandard cream, cheese, prohibited loose colours and dirty oil. Apart from that, the shop workers did not have medical certificates. He said that rusty vessels were also being used in the preparation of bakery items and sweets. In Samanabad, Kashmir Bakery Bread and New Kashmir Bakers were penalised with hefty fines over non-compliance of instructions. The director general said that PFA had slapped fine on Saleem Phayonia Walay located at Joy Shah and Gullu Sweets on Samsani Road.

He said that substandard food ingredients in the manufacturing of any edible items caused health issues for consumers. He has appealed to citizens to inform PFA in case of witness unhygienic food in their surroundings.

In South Region, PFA has closed down Zaitoon Bakers and Al-Noor Bakers in DG Khan due to using substandard dough, doing business without licence. PFA also shut down three meat shops for using non-food graded drums and not adopting cone slaughtering system, as well as for failing to meet the hygienic working environment.

PFA Bahawalnagar team raided Habib Mirch Masala unit and sealed it over failure its spices samples in the tests and for not following the labelling rules. In Chakwal, the authority has raided Atta General Store and sealed it for selling expired cold drinks and other items. A team of PFA Faisalabad sealed Seems Fried Chicken & Burger and Fork and Knife food point due to using rancid oil, poor storage area, the presence of rats and unhygienic conditions. Similarly, PFA shut down Ali Fat Rendering Unit for extracting oil from animal filth and fat. Further, Hassan Bakery was sealed in Jhang owing to use rotten eggs and for failing to present medical certificates of workers.