The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has unearthed a counterfeit ghee manufacturing unit on Jaranwala Road and discarded a huge quantity of unwholesome food items including 4,800kg hazardous ghee, 375kg caustic soda, 150 litre loose cooking oil and 125kg bleaching powder.
Meanwhile, the PFA enforcement team also seized 1,700 counterfeit cartons of famous edible oil brands, 775kg packing material, four storage tanks and a packing machine during a raid.
This was informed by PFA Director General Muhammad Asim Javaid while talking to the media at PFA Headquarters. He said that acting on a tip-off, the PFA raided a unit and caught the adulteration mafia red-handed while an FIR has been registered against the culprits in the respective police station, leading to the arrest of people from the spot.
He said that ghee was extracted from the filth and fat of animals. He said that germs-infested ghee was stored in rusty tanks and packed in the counterfeit packaging of popular brands to deceive customers.
He further said that FBO had mentioned the wrong addresses on the labelling of ghee packaging. The food business operator also failed to present the necessary records to the raiding team, such as an agreement with a bio-diesel or soap manufacturing company, he said.
Responding to a question, he said that PFA had shut down 637 oil ghee manufacturing units, imposed fines on 13,280 FBOs and discarded 75,073 litres of inferior quality ghee since January 2024.