LAHORE: Punjab Food Authority (PFA) imposed an emergency prohibition order (EPO) and discarded 500kg tainted red chilli during a warehouse raid at Sharqpur Road here on Thursday.
PFA Director General Mudassar Riaz Malik said that EPO was imposed over proven contamination of substandard colours and other hazardous ingredients in red chilli. He said that PFA’s vigilance team had unearthed a godown by chasing a supply vehicle of the food business operator. He said the PFA discarded overall 50,000 kg substandard and tainted chilli in a month during different raids. He said the use of adulterated spices in food causes intestine cancer and other diseases. The director general appealed to the people not to use loose spices and adopt the habit to read the writing on the label before purchasing any foodstuff because reading food labels could help people make smart food choices. He further said the authority would continue its indiscriminate action against the mafia involved in food adulteration.