In a fresh food-safety crackdown, the Punjab Food Authority contaminated barfi seizure in Kharian has resulted in four tonnes of fumigated sweets worth an estimated Rs 6 million being recovered and destroyed on the spot. The action was carried out on the directives of Punjab Food Authority (PFA) Director General Raja Mansoor Ahmad, as part of a broader campaign against unhygienic food items across the province.
Punjab Food Authority Contaminated Barfi Raid in Kharian
The operation targeted a manufacturing unit on Kolian Road in Kharian, where a PFA inspection team recovered four tonnes of fumigated barfi. According to a PFA spokesman, the contaminated sweet was being deliberately mixed with fresh barfi and then sold at higher rates, misleading consumers about the quality and safety of what they were purchasing.
The spokesman said the unhygienic sweet was being manufactured openly, in clear violation of food safety regulations. Investigators also reported finding a large quantity of insects at the manufacturing site, further underscoring the unsanitary conditions under which the barfi was being produced ahead of its sale to unsuspecting customers.
Zero-Tolerance Policy Against Unsafe Food
PFA Director General Raja Mansoor Ahmad said the Punjab chief minister had ordered a zero-tolerance policy against unhygienic and contaminated food items across the province. He said such raids would continue as part of the authority’s ongoing enforcement drive to protect public health, particularly as festive and wedding seasons tend to see a spike in demand for traditional sweets like barfi.
The director general urged members of the public to report any businesses found selling unhygienic or substandard food items by calling the PFA helpline at 1223. Public complaints, he noted, remain one of the authority’s most effective tools for identifying and shutting down unsafe food operations before contaminated products reach a wider number of consumers.
Part of a Wider Food Safety Crackdown
This is not an isolated action by the Punjab Food Authority. The agency has recently carried out several similar operations across the province, including the destruction of 1,000 kilograms of rotten meat at an illegal slaughterhouse in Lahore and the sealing of a well-known store’s warehouse over roughly Rs 20 million worth of expired food items. Together, these actions reflect an intensified enforcement push by PFA against food adulteration and unsafe manufacturing practices in the run-up to peak consumption periods.
Food adulteration involving sweets and dairy-based products has long been a recurring concern in Punjab, particularly around occasions when demand for traditional confections rises sharply. Authorities say sustained inspections, combined with public reporting through the 1223 helpline, remain central to curbing the practice of mixing contaminated stock with fresh products to maximize profit at the expense of consumer health.
For more consumer safety and regulatory news from Punjab, see our national news section, and read about the authority’s related recent food safety enforcement actions.
