Lahore: An enforcement team of Punjab Food Authority (PFA) discarded more than 25,000kg of expired ready-to-cook food products worth Rs20 million, sealed a cold storage facility and imposed a fine of Rs500,000 during a raid in Sundar Industrial Estate. The operation was conducted under the supervision of Director General Punjab Food Authority Raja Mansoor Ahmad.
Food safety team inspected approximately 1.5 million kilograms of frozen food products stored at the facility. During the operation, the authority discarded 11,231kg of expired meat, 209kg of substandard cheese, 5,900kg of other expired food items, 3,632kg of frozen samosas, 2,421kg of expired frozen French fries and 1,616kg of frozen parathas after detecting serious violations of food safety regulations.
Director General Raja Mansoor Ahmad said that expired frozen products were stored alongside fresh stock in clear violation of food safety standards. He said that mandatory supply records, return records and other essential documentation were not available during the inspection.
He said that the cold store management failed to produce any record regarding the disposal of expired products returned from the market. Expired, substandard and returned products were found without proper tagging or labeling, while the internationally recognized First In, First Out (FIFO) food safety principle was not being followed. Separate storage racks for expired food products had also not been designated.
He said that PFA’s timely intervention prevented the distribution of unsafe food products into the market. He stated that PFA is committed to eliminating food adulteration and food fraud across Punjab through strict enforcement and continuous monitoring of every stage of food production, storage and distribution.
He further stated that Punjab Food Authority will continue implementing its zero tolerance policy against the food adulteration mafia under the directions of the Chief Minister Punjab.