263 food points fined over violation of SOPs

LAHORE:Food safety teams, under the supervision of Director General Punjab Food Authority (PFA), carried out inspection and imposed fines on 263 food points over non-compliance of SOPs on Monday.

Director General Punjab Food Authority Rafaqat Ali Niswana said that 1276 food points have been inspected in difference areas of the province out of which 876 points were served with warning notices over minor violations.

He further said that food safety teams have discarded 767 rotten eggs, 315 litres substandard oil, 200 litres cold drinks, 600kg unwholesome sweets and lose colours. Punjab Food Authority teams inspected 518 production units in Lahore, 419 in Rawalpindi, 191 in Multan and 150 in Muzaffargarh.

Two food units were imposed Emergency Prohibition Orders (EPO) for tampering the expiry dates on the products. DG PFA said that our top priority is to ensure the provision of healthy and safe food as per directions of CM Punjab and the heavy fines have been imposed on the basis of poor storage, textile colours, saccharin, artificial flavours and open-ended dustbins, use of non-food graded blue drums, broken freezer and uncleanliness.