LAHORE: The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with 18th Food Asia International Expo set to be held next month to strengthen food safety standards and promote Pakistan’s food industry at the international level.
PFA Director General Muhammad Asim Javaid said the authority is working on initiatives related to food grade packaging, nutrition awareness and increasing exports. He said conferences will also be held on halal meat exports and improving the quality of dairy products while stalls on nutrition, quality food, food business facilitation and food safety awareness will be set up during the Expo.
He said the purpose of the agreement is to introduce global food safety standards in Lahore and to connect Pakistan’s food industry with the international market. More than 600 national and international companies will showcase their products, while over 1,000 brands will benefit from modern processing and packaging innovations.
The DG further said 100 international delegates from 10 countries will participate in the program. He mentioned that Pakistan’s annual food exports have surpassed USD 5 billion with Punjab contributing more than 60 percent to agricultural exports. He said this agreement will create investment opportunities and open new avenues for exports. He said exhibitions will be held across three halls covering food production, packaging, technology and consumer health. He added that international certifications will be introduced to upgrade standards and transform Lahore into a hub of the global food industry. Meanwhile, as per its routine crackdown against the food rules violators, the enforcement teams of the Authority have registered three FIRs against different food business operators while carrying out an operation.
Food safety teams inspected 11 well known food chains, oil mills and industries, sealing five units until corrective measures are implemented, while seven others were fined Rs1.5 million over serious violations of food laws. Teams discarded 4,985 litres of adulterated milk and 893kg of diseased meat. Moreover, 724 dairy shops and 156 meat godowns were inspected, resulting in fines amounting to Rs 994,000.
The Director General PFA said the units were found with poor storage conditions, rusty utensils and insect infestation. He said that essential records and medical certificates of workers were missing while food items were being prepared on broken and unhygienic floors in violation of food laws.
He further said that the discarded milk and meat were intended to be supplied in Lahore, adding that the use of substandard ingredients in food preparation poses serious risks to public health.
The DG stated that PFA is taking strict measures to bring all stages of food handling from preparation to delivery in line with international standards. He said that operations are being conducted across Punjab to eliminate adulteration mafias.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025