The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) is pushing for stricter laws to combat food adulteration, proposing to declare it a non-bailable offense across the province.
PFA Director General Muhammad Asim Javaid announced the move during a press briefing at the authority’s headquarters. He revealed that new legislation is being prepared, recommending up to five years’ imprisonment and fines of up to Rs. 10 million for those involved in food adulteration or forgery.
“This law will give real teeth to our enforcement efforts,” he said, expressing confidence that the stricter penalties will help curb the widespread problem.
Sharing annual performance figures, the DG said that PFA carried out over 1.23 million food safety inspections in the past year. This resulted in 1,344 FIRs, more than 119,000 fines amounting to Rs. 1.52 billion, and the sealing of 3,300 food businesses.
Among the confiscated items were 686,000 kg of meat, 142,000 liters of oil, and 117,000 liters of unsafe beverages. Additionally, 1.624 million liters of substandard milk were discarded.
Javaid added that 75% of the milk in Punjab now meets safety standards, and milk disposals have dropped fourfold, signaling significant progress in ensuring food safety.
