PFA discards thousands of ‘gutka’ packets, fines sellers

RAWALPINDI: The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) cracked down on food violations in the Rawalpindi division, discarding 5,000 sachets of ‘gutka’ and 350 litres of adulterated milk.

During various raids, six food business operators were fined a total of Rs74,000. Acting on a tip-off, PFA’s team raided a warehouse in Ganjmandi, confiscating thousands of ‘gutka’ packets, which were later disposed of. A fine of Rs7,000 was imposed for violating food regulations during this raid.

PFA Director General Raja Jahangir Anwar emphasised that the sale of ‘gutka’ is strictly prohibited across the province due to its harmful health effects, as imposed by PFA.

Additionally, the PFA dairy safety team set up a screening checkpoint in Jhelum, where two milk suppliers were fined Rs19,000 each for contaminated water in their milk, as confirmed by Lactoscan tests.

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In another instance, a food safety team penalised a beef shop on Eidgah Road with a Rs10,000 fine. This action was taken because stored meat and offal pieces were found together, along with animal faeces in the ready-to-mince material, and the staff did not use personal protective equipment (PPE).

In Jhelum, a general store received a Rs30,000 fine for selling expired cold drinks and violating the ‘First In, First Out’ policy.