LAHORE (Staff Report) – A petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court against five banaspati companies for preparing and supplying rancid and sub-standard ghee to the market as per the analysis of the Punjab Food Authority.
The petition was filed by advocate Chaudhry Shoaib Saleem in person who prayed the court to direct the Punjab Food Authority to initiate criminal proceedings against the respondent companies and suspend their licenses for preparing and supplying rancid and injurious ghee to the market.
Public Analyst Asia Qayum had conducted analysis from the Government Public Analyst Laboratory of the samples of banaspati products being prepared and supplied across the country by the respondent companies and found them that they did not conform to the standard of banaspati prescribed by rules made under the Punjab Pure Food Rules 2011 and the public anaylyst came up with observation that these samples “do not contain Vitamin A which should be minimum prescribed limit of 15000 international unit per pound of the finished product.
This sample is rancid, injurious to health, and is declared unfit for human consumption.” The petitioner lawyer prayed the court that the provincial food authorities completely ignored all such reports and took no action against the companies as per The Punjab Food Authority Act, 2011, adding that they had committed violation of its mandate “to protect public health, to provide for the safety and standards of food”.
He said it was an open fact that the poor health and education system in Pakistan was crying for its betterment and refinement which has also been guaranteed under Articles 10 and of 25-A of the Constitution of Islamic Republic Pakistan but despite passage of 67 years, the state has been badly failed in providing healthy, hygienic and standard food to the petitioner and other citizens and resultantly the issue of public health in Pakistan has never been a matter of concern for the authorities created for this purpose.
The petitioner requested the court to issued directions to provincial food authorities to initiate proceedings under all enabling provisions of The Punjab Food Authority Act, 2011 and submit a report in the court and meanwhile suspend their licenses for playing with the public health at large. The Punjab secretary health, environment protection department secretary besides the CEOs of five banaspati companies, have been cited as respondents in the petition.
