LAHORE: The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has raided a famous cheese processing unit on Sheikhupura Road, discarded over 22,000kg of expired edibles, and imposed a fine of Rs1 million due to adulteration.

The authority discarded 10,000kg of expired vegetable fat, 6,350kg of expired powder, and 5,710kg of expired fungus-infested mozzarella cheese. A First Information Report (FIR) was also registered against the unit owner for violating the law at the nearest police station.

The food safety teams under the supervision of PFA Director General Muhammad Asim Javaid took action against the unit as per the PFA Act.

The PFA DG said that fungus-infested cheese was being remanufactured by mixing chemicals to save from the loss. He said that teams had taken cheese samples for screening tests on the spot and found the adulteration.

He further said that expired powder was being used in the preparation of tea whitener and milk powder. The raiding team also witnessed the presence of expired chemicals in rusty drums, poor storage system and worst condition of hygiene, he added.

Muhammad Asim said the poor quality cheese and tea whitener were to be supplied to the market at a cheap rate after packing in attractive packaging to make them more appealing to consumers.

He said that food adulteration is a serious crime while laws are being amended to eliminate adulteration mafia. He has urged people to prefer homemade food and ensured to check food items before buying from the market.

He has requested the public to support the PFA in eliminating the adulteration mafia and report to the PFA on its 1223 helpline number in case of any complaints.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024