PFA stopped 2,159 food points, disposed of 61,291 maunds tainted milk in 2022

Lahore

LAHORE: Punjab Food Authority (PFA) stopped the production of 2,159 food businesses and disposed of an assortment of adulterated and unwholesome food worth millions of rupees during the current year 2022. In an annual performance report 2022 issued by the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) here on Wednesday, the provincial food regulatory body discarded 2,451,643 litres of impure milk; 77,366 litres of reused oil; 142,577kg substandard meat; 67,136 kg tainted spices and 66,195kg pulses. Furthermore, PFA uprooted unhealthy vegetable crops by ploughing on 18,080 marla land for irrigating vegetables with sewerage and industrial waste water. PFA Director General Muddassir Riaz Malik said the authority discarded unhealthy food for failing to meet the food safety and quality standards. He also informed that the food authority imposed hefty fines on 4,526 cafes, restaurants, tuck shops and other eateries at the motorway service area over multiple violations. He further said the PFA approved 2,197 food labels and registered 1,420 food products during the current year. The Punjab Food Authority also conducted 56,446 medical screening tests of food handlers/workers among 531 people were found ill who were suffering from hepatitis and tuberculosis (TB), he added. The training schools of PFA had given Level-1 Training to 45,237 workers and Level-2 training to 2,914 people in Punjab. Furthermore, the PFA examined 21,345 food samples in the Food Laboratory among 10,030 samples found up to the required standards, however, 11,288 samples remained failed to meet the standards, he added.