LAHORE: The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) unearthed a unit producing pickles with adulterated spices, substandard salt and hazardous chemicals in Badami Bagh.

PFA Director General Muhammad Asim Javaid said that acting on a tip-off, the food safety team of PFA raided a warehouse that looked like a house in the densely populated area of Lahore and caught the adulteration mafia red-handed with a huge quantity of fungus-infested pickles.

He said the PFA had filed a case against the accused on account of adulteration and for violating the laws in the nearest police station after facing stiff resistance from the women of the adulteration mafia. The authority took action against the pickle manufacturing unit after recovering thousands of kilograms of fungus-infested pickles while it was being packed in attractive packaging to attract consumers, he said.

He further said that hazardous chemicals were being used during the process of drenching the inferior quality vegetables and fruits in vinegar and oil while it was preserved in the non-food grade drums. He said that the raiding team also witnessed a dirty floor and an abundance of insects and flies in the processing area during the inspection of the pickle unit.

Moreover, he said the FBO was running a unit without getting a food license and product registration certificate from the competent authority. The authority discarded 300kg of fungus-infested pickles and confiscated non-food grade drums during the raid, the PFA DG said. He further said that the Punjab Food Authority is fully committed to bringing down the wicked practice of food adulteration as per the directions of the Punjab government.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024