PFA seals pickle and fake beverage factories for substandard production. Food safety teams confiscate 100,000 kg substandard pickle, 14,000 kg muraba, 2,000 fake bottles. The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has sealed two factories producing adulterated pickle and fake beverages of various popular soft drink brands while carrying out a crackdown against them in Lahore and its adjacent city on Friday. The authority has confiscated as many as 100,000 kilogram substandard pickle, 14,000 kilogram muraba (jam/ fruits preserves) and 2,000 fake bottles during the raids.
PFA Director General Captain (R) Muhammad Usman said that raids were conducted on the tipoff of the PFA Vigilance Cell. According to details, a team of PFA raided Fiaz Bottle production unit in the Harbanspura area and sealed it producing fake fizzy carbonated drinks of renowned companies. The director general said that cola drinks were being prepared by adding artificial flavours, colours and harmful chemicals. He said that food authority’s team confiscated approximately 2,000 prepared drinks, 1,200 empty bottles, five gas cylinders, two filling machines and motors. He said that the use of such carbonated drinks are injurious to health and causes cancer and stomach ulcer. Muhammad Usman has directed the vigilance team to unearth the suppliers of empty bottles and raw material.
In another raid, food safety team closed down Shoaib Foods located at Ferozewala Sheikhupura. He said that the unit was sealed after recovering a huge quantity of unwholesome pickles and jam from the spot. He said that adulterated and germs-infected pickle and muraba supplied in the far-flung areas of Punjab after packing in the attracting packaging. Punjab Food Authority is fully active and committed to rooting out the menace of adulteration and forgery from Punjab, he said and added that citizens should purchase good quality and ratified products from reliable stores. He further said that anyone can inform PFA concerning adulteration mafia and food-related issues on its Facebook Page, Mobile Application and Toll-Free number 1223.