Food quality: Restaurants at PC, Avari among others fined for poor hygiene

Food items seized from bakeries at the two hotels for missing expiry date

LAHORE: Several restaurants at the Pearl Continental, Lahore, and Avari Lahore, were fined on Friday by the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) for violation of food standards.

During an inspection visit at PC, Lahore, a PFA Data Ganj Baksh Town team fined Sakura Restaurant for not providing a hand washing facility for the staff. Dumpukht Restaurant was fined for poor sanitation and failure to dump leftover food.

Bakery items including samosa wraps and food colours and flavours were seized and a fine imposed on the PC Hotel Bakery for not mentioning expiry date on its products.

A PFA team imposed fines on the à la carte kitchen and Dynasty Restaurant at Avari Lahore for poor hygiene and storage of stale food. The team imposed fines on and seized food products and chemical drums used for storage purposes at a bakery at the hotel.

In other raids in Data Ganj Buksh Town, the PFA imposed fines on Punjab Bakery in Gowalmandi and Big Man’s Pizza in Shadman for poor hygiene. The team found broken eggs and expired food items at Punjab Bakery. Formal warnings were issued to the businesses to follow hygiene standards set by the authority.

In Allama Iqbal Town, a PFA team sealed Hafiz Sweets on Raiwind Road for use of rotten milk and its failure to print expiry date on bakery products displayed for sale. Fines were imposed on Italian Pizza on Raiwind Road and Bismillah Fried Chicken on PIA Road for poor hygiene in their kitchens.

In Shalimar Town, fines were imposed on Khan Bakery on Ghoray Shah Road; MS Food, Sawami Nagar; Nadeem Shahi Takki and Asian Dairies for poor hygiene.

Another PFA team sealed Burger Corner in Gulberg’s Mini Market for storage of food items in an unclean deep freezer and poor cleanliness of staff.

About 1,120 litres of adulterated milk was destroyed during inspection of vehicles transporting milk to the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 25^th, 2015.