PFA Declares 103 Ghee,cooking Oil Brands Unsuitable

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Sep, 2019 ) :Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has declared 103 editable oil and banaspati ghee brands unsuitable for human health and has stopped their production and distribution until they meet the food standards.

The authority also removed 68,120kg ghee and oil of the failed brands from the market.

The provincial food regulatory body has released the results of edible oil and fats sampling campaign 2019 here on Sunday.

PFA Director General Capt(retd) Muhammad Usman said that the purpose of sample collection drive was to confirm the availability of requisite micronutrients in it and check the quality and standards.

He said that 56 samples had failed on quality parameters and 47 on safety parameters in the analytical laboratory test report, while 211 brands found up to the mark adding that three brands failed on the basis of incorrect label.

Food safety teams had collected 317 samples of cooking oil and ghee for laboratory test from open market in the presence of companys' representatives by following blind-sampling method throughout the province.

The PFA would not allow anyone to sale the unsafe food products in the market and operation to be continued till the removal of failed brands stock from the market, said Muhammad Usman adding that PFA could not compromise on the quality of food and standards. The production of failed brands will remain suspended till further orders.

He said that PFA would again collect samples for laboratory test after ensuring proper reforms. He said that the use of substandard cooking oil causes cholesterol and blood pressure diseases.

The PFA has uploaded the results of lab tests on the authority website for the public interest.