LAHORE - Punjab Food Authority (PFA) Director General Irfan Memon on Monday said that the ill-practice of milk adulteration is being gradually decreased due to a series of actions against the mafia on a daily basis.
Following the directions of Prime Minister Pakistan and Chief Minister, the actions are continued across Punjab to control milk adulteration and to make Punjab adulteration-free province.
He said that their teams had inspected 973,763 litre milk being carried on 1,294 milk-supply vehicles while only four per cent (35,977) milk of the total milk was found adulterated which disposed of on the spot. He said teams discarded 12,000 litre impure milk in Lahore; 5,000 in Faisalabad; 4,000 in Sargodha and remaining in other districts.
According to details, teams examined 130 vehicles in Lahore, Faisalabad (188), Gujranwala (137), Attock (6), Bahawalpur (13), Bahawalnagar(15), Bhakkar(25), Chakwal(9), Chinniot(34), DG Khan (54), Hafizabad (3), Jhang (84), Jhelum (19), Kasur (83), Khanewal (17), Khushab (19), Sheikhupura (133), Sialkot (118) and Multan (17).
Similarly, in Lodhran (16), Mandi Bahauddin (8), Mianwali (9), Muzaffargarh (9), Nankana Sahib (22), Narowal (21), Okara (4), Rahimyar Khan (7), Rajanpur (12), Sargodha (35), Toba Tek Singh (33) and Vehari (16) milk carrier vehicle was checked.
PFA Director General further added that milk was disposed of on a low level of LR, the addition of urea and adulteration of water, adding that it was a serious crime to mix water and toxic chemical in milk to increase the milk quantity He informed that total of 4 per cent milk was found impure.
He said: “The consumption of tainted milk causes fatal diseases in children and elders. Special dairy safety teams are screening milk on a daily basis which is being carried from different areas 9of province and there is no place in Punjab for milk adulterators.”
On the other hand, PFA has sealed seven food points and imposed hefty fines on dozens of eateries over violations in Punjab. According to details, PFA South team has shut down Rao Arif Foods (nimko unit) for selling substandard eatables and not taking measures to control pests. In another raid, PFA team sealed Tanveer Juice due to not comply of authority instructions and worst condition of hygiene and failure to meet food standards.
A dairy safety team of PFA Rawalpindi sealed Jholay Laal Milk Shop for preparing tainted milk and selling it. In another raid, Farman Warehouse was sealed over failure to meet the previous instructions, poor results of sampling test and unavailability of record. In Chakwal, food safety teams sealed Naveed Hotel over poor arrangements of cleanliness, poor storage and abundance of insects.
Meanwhile, the food regulatory body has closed down two khoya units in Sargodha. PFA sealed Shanawar and Nasar Khoya units for using substandard ingredients, the presence of lizards, an abundance of insects and non-compliance of instruction.
