Crackdown continues: PFA set to expand operations to other districts

Raids were conducted on 6,000 food outlets out of which only 250 were sealed

LAHORE ': The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) will soon extend its operations to other districts of the province, Operations Director Ayesha Mumtaz said on Monday.

She said that knowingly selling unhygienic food was tantamount to endangering lives. "Right now, district coordination officers are performing the task of ensuring food quality in most districts under the Punjab Pure Food Ordinance 1960. The necessary amendments are being considered by the provincial government to extend the Punjab Food Authority Act 2011," she said.

She said that inspection of popular food-outlets in Lahore had revealed that some of them were not following the hygiene code. "People visit these outlets believing that they serve quality food," she said. The PFA director said that road-side food vendors were also being given guidelines for serving safe food.

"We are not victimising anyone. We are working to protect the consumers. The PFA has the responsibility to check hygiene standards in the entire food industry," she said.

"We have conducted raids at 6,000 food outlets. Only 250 of them were sealed. 3,000 were issued notices," she said.

Mumtaz said that the authority had also started a campaign against adulterated milk. "So far, we have disposed of 52,000 liters of adulterated milk," she said.

She said that the PFA would continue to perform its duties fearlessly.

Meanwhile, PFA inspectors set up pickets at Ravi Bridge, Thokar Niaz Beg, Sagrian Bridge and Babu Sabu Interchange on Monday and seized thousands of liters of adulterated or sub-standard milk and imposed fines on milkmen.

Talking to The Express Tribune, a milk transporter Muhammad Sabir, said that the authority had also seized dozens of milk-carrying vehicles. "PFA officials take the vehicles to the authority's office. In many cases, good quality milk is seized without proper inspection. In a couple of hours, it becomes unfit for consumption." he said. 


He said that milkmen were formulating a strategy to protect against the PFA. "If the authority does not stop the action, we will stop supplying milk to Lahore."