PFA bans sale of infant milk brand Lactalis over ‘salmonella’ fears

Authority also raids and seals warehouse of Lactalis products distributor

LAHORE: The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) imposed a complete ban on the sale of Lactalis, a brand of infant milk, after lab reports revealed ‘salmonella’ bacteria was found in the products.

Subsequently, the authority removed over 2,000 units of milk products from shops and pharmacies across the province. The authority also raided and sealed the warehouse of the Lactalis milk distributor.



PFA Director General Noorul Amin Mengal said that the sale of that Lactalis milk would remain banned till the authority gets detailed laboratory analysis reports. He indicated that several adverse reports have been published in France about the same milk brand. “It has been reported that salmonella virus could cause several ailments in infants, like diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps.”

Mengal also appealed to parents to boycott the products of Lactalis till the authority gets laboratory reports. The fate of the brand and its sale in the local market is also linked to the laboratory report, he added.

Meanwhile, in another inspection, the provincial food watchdog sealed a honey processing unit for producing a spurious product. The authority also discarded over 2,000 kilogrammes of substandard sweetener which was produced from sugar syrup, glucose, and plaster of Paris.



PFA food safety officials on Tuesday raided the production area of the honey manufacturing unit after a tip-off from the vigilance cell. The PFA officials caught the honey processing unit’s workers while they were busy making spurious honey from substandard sweeteners.

The unit was also producing counterfeit honeycomb with the help of plaster of paris which works to deceive authorities and citizens into thinking it was freshly-produced honey.

The authority lodged an FIR at a local police station against the owner of the honey factory and arrested him. The PFA officials said the consumption of honey had increased during the winter season, especially for infants and young children, due to its abilities to heal various diseases.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13^th, 2017.