A delegation of Soap Industry Association (SIA) has requested the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) for allowing the use of fat extracted oil in the preparation of soap-making while meeting with authority Chairman Umar Tanveer Butt and PFA Director General Irfan Memon at PFA Headquarters on Thursday.
Chairman PFA Umar Tanvir Butt said that he has referred the case to Scientific Panel and Board of Punjab Food Authority for submitting their reply on it. He said that PFA had already banned the use of fat oil in soaps manufacturing because in the name of soap manufacturing, fat oil is used in the preparation of food products. Furthermore, he said that lifting of the ban would be on the basis of the scientific panel’s suggestions and with the permission of the PFA Board.
Director General PFA Irfan Memon added that industry would be eased with facilities but the health of the general public would be a top priority of the authority. He has assured support to the soap industry but according to regulations. He said that conditional permission could be granted if the scientific panel of PFA agreed with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of the usage of fat oil.
On the other hand, PFA Director General Irfan Memon on Thursday morning led a grand operation in Ganj Mandi against the violators (food business operators). PFA team inspected six food stores and sealed two amongst them. The production of two food points had been seized while warning notices had been served over minor flaws. DG Food Authority raided Hassan Din (Peanut) Roasting Unit and sealed it over the usage of loose colours for colouring peanuts. He said that hazardous and substandard food coloured peanut was being supplied in the market but PFA foiled an attempt to supply.
In Raja Bazar Rawalpindi, Pehlwan Di Hatti production unit was sealed over the presence of insects and flies where khoya, yoghurt and kheer were being produced with tainted milk. He further said that the team witnessed the heaps of garbage everywhere in production area and products were placed uncovered.
Similarly, Khizar Food Murrabba Unit was sealed in Data Colony Jhanda Singh Faisalabad due to preparing spurious Maraba with expired ingredients and calcium carbonate, an abundance of flies and worst condition of hygiene. Moreover, PFA’s enforcement teams have conducted an operation against adulterators and counterfeiters in Gujranwala division and closed down two food outlets for selling prohibited food products. According to details, PFA has shut down Sheikh Imran Traders and one other due to selling expired drinks and loose spices, failing to produce medical certificates and over improper cleanliness arrangements.
In Sargodha, PFA watchdog teams have shut down Iqbal Marriage Hall and penalized numerous eateries with hefty fines. The authority sealed wedding hall for using expired meat, rotten vegetables and loose adulterated spices in the preparation of food dishes. Further, teams have witnessed the presence of stale food, washroom in the kitchen area and unhygienic conditions.
Furthermore, Punjab Food Authority sealed nine food outlets and penalized 12 food business operators with Rs241, 500 cumulative fine over multiple violations of the Act in the South Region. A team of PFA Multan sealed Irfan Bakers owing to sale germ-infested sweets, unavailability of medical certificates of workers, having no labelling on products and stinky environment. On the other hand, Bilal Sweets and Taj Mehal Sweets had been shut down in Vihari, while Saghar Sweets and Super Store in Rahim Yar Khan over non-compliance with authority instructions. Aslam Confectionary Distributor was also sealed in Muzaffargarh.
The provincial food regulatory body has also discarded several mounds substandard, unhygienic and adulterated food material in the daylong operation. Meanwhile, PFA officials have issued warning notices for improvement to hundreds of eateries.