LAHORE: The Punjab Food Authority's enforcement teams on Tuesday shut down four bakeries and levied fines of Rs 200,000 on two food business operators during the inspection of bakeries and their production units in different areas of Lahore.

The food safety teams thoroughly inspected several bakeries in Sundar Industrial Estate, Bhobatian, Jalo Park and on Defence Road. The purpose of the inspection was to ensure the provision of food in the market as per the food safety standards and quality parameters defined in the Punjab Pure Food Regulations, said DG PFA Muhammad Asim Javaid.

The Punjab Food Authority also served warning notices for improvement on four bakeries besides discarding inferior quality of milk solids, poor quality of food flavours, 40kg of substandard flour and more than 20kg of prohibited food ingredients. Moreover, Punjab Food Authority had confiscated 5,000 gum base, 720kg of fruit pulp and 150 litres of essence (Arq), he said.

Muhammad Asim said the provincial food regulatory body stopped the production of four bakeries and cake shops by imposing emergency prohibition orders (EPOs). He said that EPOs were imposed due to using expired raw material, non-compliance with the authority's previous instructions, preserved food in dirty freezers, an abundance of insects, the presence of rodents and the worst condition of hygiene.

Apart from that, he said cakes were being prepared with germs-infested white flour, expired pulp and gum base.

While fungus-infested so-called desi clarified butter and milk solids were preserved in non-food grade drums without taking any preventative measures, the DG said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024