Rawalpindi - Punjab Food Authority sealed three oil and ghee factories in various parts of the city besides imposing heavy fines on food outlets for selling unhygienic food to consumers, a spokesman said on Wednesday.
Separate cases have also been registered with police against owners of the factories, he added.
According to him, a team of PFA, headed by director and deputy director operations, raided three cooking oil and ghee factories in areas of Rawat, Kirtar Pura and Gujar Khan. He said that the raiding team found expired ingredients and unhygienic items in the factories and sealed them.
The sealed factories included Qureshi and Sons, Amir Animal Fat Unit and Ashraf and Sons Traders. The team also confiscated 1360 kilograms bones of animals, 1,120 kilograms fat, 120 kilograms chemical and 85 kilograms oil and ghee and discarded it.
Similarly, the PFA conducted surprise raids on food outlets in various parts of the division and imposed fines worth Rs38,500 on the shopkeepers for selling unhygienic food items, he said.
On the other hand, a brawl occurred between a shopkeeper and the PFA team within limits of Police Station Sadiqabad after which both parties approached police for registration of cases against each other. Police, however, entertained complaint of the PFA and lodged case against the shopkeeper.
According to details, Rubina Taj, Food Safety Office of the PFA, lodged a complaint with the police, stating that she along with her team members conducted a raid at Bismillah Karyana Store located at Farooq-e-Azam Road to check the quality of food items. She alleged that the shopkeeper Waqar Hussain misbehaved with the team and used abusive language against them. She requested the police to register case against the shopkeeper.
Meanwhile, Waqar Hussain also lodged a written complaint with the police, alleging Noor Rehman, driver of the PFA team, of storming into his shop and trying to steal cash. He also provided the CCTV footage of the incident. However, the police registered case against Waqar on complaint of Rubina Taj while the complaint of Waqar was yet to be entertained. SHO Sadiqabad was not available for his comments.