PFA continues drive to check school canteens, seals 16 canteens, penalizes 17 FBOs and issues 346 warning notices


On the directions of Punjab Food Authority Director General retired Captain Muhammad Usman, food safety teams have carried out a special drive for checking that educational institutions are strictly following a ban on carbonated drinks or not in Punjab.

Enforcement teams of the PFA have sealed as many as 16 canteens of public and private schools, served warning notices for improvement on 346 and penalized 17 food business operators (FBOs) in a daylong operation. Out of 16, PFA has sealed four canteens in Rawalpindi and six canteens each in Lahore and Multan regions. Director General food authority Muhammad Usman paid visits to Divisional Public School (DPS) and Lahore Grammar School (LGS) to inspect the food’s quality and standards at canteens. During his visit, PFA has sealed LGS’s canteen and imposed fine on four canteens of DPS over non-compliance with the authority’s instructions. He said that PFA has sealed canteens and imposed fine due to poor hygiene issues and for selling carbonated drinks despite a ban on its sale in schools.

According to Educational Institutions Food Standards Regulation, food divided into three categories which being sold in schools. While, the food items divided into red, yellow and green categories. He said that only those products can be put on sale in school canteens which falls in Green and Yellow category list of PFA. However, the sale of red category food is strictly prohibited in educational institutions as per regulation. PFA will no compromise on the health of students and strict action would be taken against violators as per law. Parents should prefer to give a healthy lunch box before going children schools instead of giving money. DG further said that the purpose of the drive was to ensure the implementation of the ban on the sale of carbonated drinks in the educational institutions of Punjab for which this decision was taken.


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