LAHORE – An unusual mean of raw fish’s supply to a famous meat shop in Punjab capital city has once again posed serious questions on the quality of food Lahoris consume on daily basis.
The management of Zenith, a local brand of ‘fresh’ meat with its branches across the country, was caught red handed by a customer in the elite area of Defence Housing Authority on Sunday when a whole ‘rickshaw-load’ of the winter delicacy was delivered to the shop located in Phase-5.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KNIvkZP1Oc
In the videos, recorded by the customer himself, show dozens of kilograms of loosely packed fish in flour sacks, with blood/chemical dripping all over the floor, taken away from the three-wheeler to the shop’s basement, where it was weighed and kept in ‘cold storage’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wDZIp0Zw2Q
Bilal, the franchise manager whose face was flushed with frustration, in his explanation, asserted that their delivery truck broke down on its way and they had to supply the white meat to the shop any way.
After the customer made hue and cry, insisting that such kind of transportation might turn the meat toxic, the Zenith management agreed on taking the stock away.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpi-1boaXZM
There is a possibility that the meat might have been supplied back to the shop after the customer left from there.
Meanwhile, a crackdown on the illegal slaughterhouses and adulteration of food items is continued by the Punjab Food Authority, which came under fire following the shocking disclosures of donkey meat sale to popular restaurants in the town last year.
During the previous government, the illegal and haram business of selling donkey meat to hotels was at its peak and most Pakistanis were unknowingly eating dead donkey meat. With the tireless endeavours of the food department and an endless pressure from the media, most of the hotels and restaurants that sold donkey meat were sealed and fined. However, many of those restaurants have now reopened.
Adding to the misery of foodies in Lahore, officials working to regulate the Halal meat sector say animals are not being slaughtered according to Islamic practice as the country fails to ensure ‘Halal’ standards are met. The lack of certified Halal meat in Pakistan has also made most Muslim countries hesitant from importing Pakistani meat products, which is why Pakistan share in global Halal meat trade is extremely low.
