LAHORE: Punjab Food Authority Director General Noorul Amin Mengal along with Punjab Food Minister Bilal Yasin Sunday visited several international and local food outlets and sealed Fat Burger and imposed heavy fine on Hardee's MM Alam Road branch.

Fat Burger MM Alam Road was sealed due to the usage of expired cooking oil along with PFA teams found that the bun and bred which was using to make burgers were also expired.

On the other hand, Hardee's MM Alam Road branch was imposed fine Rs O.1 million over improper cleanliness measures. The Hardee's restaurant was also involved in using the expired cooking oil and PFA found substantial evidence for that. 

Salt’n Pepper Restaurant on the other was de-sealed on implementing the reforms. Last week, the MM Alam Road Salt’n Pepper Restaurant branch was sealed over improper cleanliness measures.

DG Noorul Amin Mengal expressed PFA determination to continue the raids against those involve in providing substandard food working in unhygienic environment to citizens.

A day earlier PFA DG during raids imposed fine to Pizza Hut Branch MM Alam Road worth Rs200,000 over improper cleanliness measures. The raw material that was used in Pizza Hutt was without proper labeling and did not mark with address of respective production units.

It is pertinent to note that The Nation on May 22, 2017 broke the news titled ‘Many uptown food outlets reluctant to show kitchens’ that restaurants and eateries in the city’s uptown areas were violating the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) introduced by Punjab Food Authority. Most of them are not allowing their customers to visit kitchens to see for themselves how they are maintaining the hygienic conditions and cleanliness. In the survey four food outlets were mentioned including Pizza Hutt MM Alam Road branch, Salt’n Pepper Village restaurant and Buffalo Wings and Rings.

Substandard juice: PFA yesterday raided a production unit of Pure Foods juice manufacturing factory located at Sheikhupura Road and caught 0.5 million sub standard juice packets.

PFA DG Noor ul Amin Mengal led the raid with team and upon finding the juice manufacturing without pulp and chemicals the factory was sealed immediately. On the spot tests of the juice samples failed to testify and quality the ideal sample of manufacturing juice.

“It is heinous crime that producing juice without pulp and it is playing with the lives of our children. Juices are very much popular among children.   If such juices will be coming in the market without proper check this could cause stomach diseases and cause cancer also,” Mengal said.

He appealed parents to give fresh juice of fruits to their children in order to avoid the diseases prevailing among children.