Revamping standards: PFA crackdown continues

Establishments told to revamp hygiene standards

LAHORE: The Punjab Food Authority continued on Thursday to crackdown on establishments involved in selling adulterated and substandard eatables.

The authority’s Ravi Town food safety officials sealed Shahbaz Restaurant at Begum Kot Chowk for poor cleanliness standards. The restaurant was functioning with uncovered drains. It was also using rotten vegetables in dishes.

Baba Gee Sweets and Chand Shahab Sweets in Taxali Gate area were sealed in connection with manufacturing products in an unhygienic environment. The manufacturing areas of the shops were also extremely dirty. Workers at the sites did not have medical certificates needed to handle food products. Manufacturing and expiry dates were not mentioned on eatables and sweets were stored in rusting, broken freezers.

Samanabad Town officials sealed Arif Chowk’s Bukhari Naan Shop and Khurram Sweets due to the presence of restrooms inside areas where eatables were being produced. Flies were also buzzing around products at both outlets. Drums used to store chemicals were also being used across both establishments. The environment at both places was extremely dirty. In the same neighbourhood, PFA officials imposed heavy fines on Ahmad Raza Milk Shop and Rakha Khoay Walay Chanay for not installing counters and failing to prevent flies from settling on products. In Allama Iqbal Town, GFC Fast Food Restaurant was fined for using unlabeled bread. Also, no soap was being used to wash dishes at the establishment. The canteen of Imperial College was also sealed due to similar reasons. The PFA warned all outlets to revamp hygiene standards or risk further action.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2016.