LAHORE: In line with the zero-tolerance policy towards food adulteration, Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has intensified its enforcement efforts across the province under the directives of Director General Asim Javed. From Lahore to Rajanpur, PFA has taken firm action against food adulteration practices.
During October, PFA conducted rigorous inspections of 104,790 food units/points, imposing fines exceeding PKR 126.3 million on 9,778 violators. Additionally, 280 food points were shut down due to severe breaches of regulations & legal cases were registered against 87 units found engaging in fraudulent practices.
Compared to last year, inspections have increased by 89.1%, while penalties have surged by 94.3%, demonstrating PFA’s escalated efforts to protect public health. Over 132,000 liters of adulterated milk & 24,000 kg of substandard meat, along with expired oils & other products were seized & discarded.
In early morning checkpoints, PFA inspected 41,926 milk-carrying vehicles & 13,637 dairy shops testing over 3.34 million liters of milk for quality. Across province, an extensive crackdown on meat shops resulted in the inspection of 8,773 outlets, with over 1.94 million kg of meat verified for safety.
To further ensure compliance PFA issued improvement notices to 41,722 food points, while 3,317 new licenses were granted. DG Asim Javed emphasized the importance of adhering to food safety standards warning that severe action would be taken against repeat offenders. He also highlighted the dangers of using substandard & expired ingredients stressing that such practices lead to serious health risks.
“Food adulteration endangers public health and will not be tolerated in Punjab,” remarked DG Asim Javed. “Those who engage in such practices are enemies of the nation.” He urged citizens to report food safety violations by calling the PFA helpline at 1223.
