To control the wicked practice of milk adulteration, Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has set up screening picket on Kasur Road Mustafa Abad Toll Plaza and discarded 5,200 litres of impure milk.
PFA Director General Irfan Memon said that the action was taken against milk suppliers on account of adulteration and over failure to meet the food standards. He said that dairy safety teams examined 13,400 litres of milk loaded on different milk carrier vehicles during the operation. The purpose of the operation was to ensure the provision of adulteration-free food and milk to the people.
He said that milk was disposed of after it was proved that milk had contamination of polluted water, urea and harmful chemicals, as well as found low level of lactometer reading. The director-general further said that adulteration is a heinous crime and adulterators would be dealt with iron hand. He said that the use of adulterated milk is not fit for elders and children. The provincial food regulatory body is checking milk shops and vehicles on a daily basis in this crucial time by placing screening pickets at the entry and exit points of the different cities in Punjab, he added.
DG has appealed citizens to inform PFA through its helpline (1223), Facebook, mobile application and website in case of witness adulteration or register their complaints.
On the other hand, PFA has sealed three food points and served warning notices for improvement to 345 eateries during the operation across Punjab. The authority also imposed Rs272,000 cumulative fine on 52 food business operators.
Irfan Memon said that the purpose of the operation was to ensure the implementation of food laws and the provision of healthy and safe food in the market as per the vision of Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar.
PFA Sargodha team sealed United Bakers & Sweets for using non-food graded, worst condition of hygiene and non-compliance of instructions. The authority also has closed down Haji Muhammad AslamKaryana Store in Rajanpur for selling loose spices and expired food items, failing to present a record, cobwebs in the processing area and poor cleanliness arrangements in the storage area. Similarly, a dairy safety team has sealed Bismillah Milk shop in Gujranwala for selling tainted milk, not having medical certificates and unhygienic conditions.