PFA seals 16 food outlets

LAHORE: Punjab Food Authority (PFA) Monday sealed 16 food outlets and penalised 56 food business operators by imposing Rs 398,500 fine on them.

The shops were sealed and imposed fine for selling low quality food, adulteration and poor hygienic conditions. The food safety teams were comprised of food experts and other officials of the PFA at the time of raids on food points, restaurants, stalls and production units. In Lahore, PFA has sealed seven different food premises including beverage companies, ketchup unit, pulp production unit, vermicelli point, two water filtration plant and beef shop in the different areas of the city.

The beverage company was sealed for using loose colour and chemicals, pulp unit over wrong labelling, ketchup production unit for using rotten tomatoes and starch in Sabzazar and Samanabad area. Further, the teams sealed vermicelli’s point for frying vermicelli in rancid oil, water filtration plants for using PFA logo and rusted machinery. Besides, the PFA sealed beef shop for selling emaciated meat.

PFA three each food points in Bahawalpur and Rawalpindi, two sweet shops in Gujranwala and one shop in Sargodha division for not following the PFA’s instructions, using poor quality commodities in the preparation of food and multiple hygienic issues. The teams issued fine tickets of Rs128,000 fine to 13 shops in Lahore, Rs 44,000 on eight food points in DG Khan division, Rs 84,000 fine on 14 outlets in Rawalpindi, Rs13,000 fine in Sargodha, Rs52,000 fine on seven eateries in Gujranwala and Rs39,500 fine in Bahawalpur.

Moreover, the food safety teams discarded approximately 1032-kg rotten vegetables and fruits, 200-kg substandard ketchup, 50-kg starch, 72-kg vanilla powder, 1300-kg Khoya, 170-litre beverages, 120-kg adulterated pepper, loose colour and other substandard products. The PFA issued warning notices to several food points for not conforming to PFA SOPs.