Punjab Food Authority seizes substandard fruits, seals cold storage facilities

LAHORE: The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) continued its raids on subpar food places and practices across the province, this time targeting fruit hoarders across Punjab.

Hoarders are known for storing unripe fruits, coating them with calcium carbide and then selling them later at higher prices especially during the Islamic fasting month of Ramazan, when prices of fruits and vegetables are skyrocketing due to higher demand.

The PFA’s crackdown so far has resulted in 13 cold stores and 41 warehouses to be sealed across Punjab, it was reported on Sunday.

According to PFA Director General (DG) Noorul Amin Mengal, the chemical has been used on 3,400kg of mangoes, 2,100kg of apples and 2,400kg of pears and peaches — all of them have been disposed of.

Moreover, four cold stores have been sealed in Lahore and Kasur while one each has been sealed in Toba Tek Singh, Jehlum, Gujranwala, Mianwali, Khushab, Vehari and Rahim Yar Khan while two have been shut down in Multan.

Mengal has said the raids will continue in the upcoming days.

Lahore General Hospital cafeteria shutdown

On the other hand, Lahore General Hospital’s main cafeteria's pizza and juice sections were sealed along with the emergency ward's canteen by the PFA.

The pizza sold at the cafeteria was found to have been made from expired products and substandard meat while the milkshake was said to have been prepared from rotten fruits, according to Mengal.

The DG PFA said hundreds of people eat at the cafeteria every day and the substandard food provided there is one of the main reasons for falling health conditions. 

PFA seals ice factories 

On Friday, the PFA sealed 37 ice factories in the province over unhygienic conditions.

The raids by PFA resulted in 21 ice factories being sealed shut in Lahore, seven in Rawalpindi and nine in Multan.