New year, new plans: PFA issues inspection schedule

Official says PFA always gives an initial improvement notice to food business operators for the first time

LAHORE:  

The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has released its annual inspection schedule for 2019 to test edible items. Manufacturers, packagers and food business operators will be bound to follow the schedule. According to it, hotels and manufactures of food and drink products will be checked two to three times a year. Apart from this, waste handling, including bio-diesel firms, rendering units and PAMCO etc will be checked on a quarterly basis. The PFA will also inspect pulp manufacturing and fat rendering units as well as ice factories on a seasonal basis during 2019. PFA Director General Captain (Retd) Muhammad Usman said that the competent authority published an inspection schedule at the start of 2019 in several newspapers.  The purpose is to improve food standards and bring reform to the industry. “PFA always gives an initial improvement notice to food business operators for the first time,” he said. He added the authority could not afford to put the lives of millions of consumers at risk. “The purpose of the inspection schedule is to keep checks and balances on the food industry.”   

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2019.