Various food points penalized for hygiene violations in Multan, Khanewal

MULTAN, Aug 17 (APP):The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) intensified inspections of food businesses across Multan and Khanewal to ensure the provision of safe and quality food to citizens and imposed heavy fines on various food points for hygiene violations.

Following directives from the PFA Director General, food safety teams inspected bakeries, restaurants, sweet shops, grocery outlets and drink corners at various locations. The inspections resulted in heavy fines for violations of food safety and hygiene regulations, while 40kg of expired food, 33 litres of substandard beverages and 422 sachets of gutka were discarded.

In Multan, six bakeries located around Pir Bagh Ali Shah Mosque, MDA road Pul Barana, Vehari Chowk, Central Jail and Mohalla Pir Bukhari Musa Pak were fined a combined Rs125,000 for failing to maintain records of cooking oil replacement, selling desi ghee without proper labelling and using untraceable ingredients in bakery items.

Three restaurants in Chowk Shah Abbas and Gulgasht colony were fined Rs75,000 for using open spices, improperly storing meat in freezers and failing to produce valid medical certificates for workers.

In Mian Channu, two sweet shops at the Lari Adda and Kalma Chowk were each fined Rs20,000 for selling expired food, poor sanitation and failure to comply with previous instructions.

A restaurant in Ghareebabad Chungi, Khanewal, was fined Rs25,000 for using China salt in food preparation despite its prohibition. Meanwhile, a drink corner at Lari Adda, Mian Channu, was fined Rs12,000 for selling foul-smelling food.

The PFA Director General said strict action against elements endangering public health would continue. He urged citizens to report food safety violations by contacting the Punjab Food Authority helpline at 1223.