The Punjab Food Authority held a massive crackdown in Punjab with an aim to control the illegal practice of non-food grade plastic bottles manufacturing and its use for food products on Tuesday.
During the operation, food safety teams sealed four factories including two in Sheikhupura and one each in Lahore and Faisalabad. These factories were shut down due to the production of non-food grade bottles, false labeling and lack of proper record. Food grade preform can be used for food products, while non-food grade is not suitable for this purpose. Meanwhile, enforcement teams confiscated 17,000 empty bottles (non-food grade), a huge amount of raw material and machinery during the raids.
Director General Captain (R) Muhammad Usman said that the authority took strict action against Iqbal Bottles, Ali Din Plastic, Meezan Plastics and Jutt Plastic Bottles over failure to meet the standards of Punjab Pure Food Regulations 2018. He said that PFA also stopped the production of ten factories for not complying with authority instructions and due to the presence of untraceable plastic particles. Further, PFA served warning notices for improvement to three units. The director general said that only the bottles prepared from food grade plastic be used in food items. He also added that it is necessary for manufacturers to write “it is not for use of food items” on non-food grade bottles. He said that the use of non-food grade bottle is posing a serious threat to the users’ health while causing fatal diseases. Muhammad Usman further said that it is compulsory for manufacturers to keep the record of raw material (preform) and non-food grade bottles which produced through the crushing procedure.