LAHORE: The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) on Saturday disposed of over 280kg of dead chicken and more than 80kg of unwholesome meat during an early-morning crackdown at Tollinton Market and Bakra Mandi, respectively, to prevent the supply of unsafe meat to markets in the provincial capital.

During the operation, a meat shop was sealed after recovery of substandard meat, a case was registered and two freezers were confiscated.

During inspections, 12 meat warehouses, suppliers and shops were checked, while around 37,000kg of chickens were examined. Two businesses were imposed heavy fines and 10 notices were issued for violations of food safety laws.

PFA Director General Asim Javed said action was taken after sick chickens were recovered during checking, adding that mandatory records and essential documents were missing on several premises. Veterinary specialists declared the recovered chickens unfit for human consumption after a detailed examination.

Mr Javed said poor hygiene arrangements, broken freezers and absence of issuance and expiry dates were found at the sealed meat shop. He added that employees medical certificates were not available and the food businesses were operating without valid licences.

He said beef and chicken meat were being prepared for supply when the meat safety teams took timely action and thwarted their distribution. Calling the adulteration mafia a serious threat to public health, he said profiteers were selling disease instead of food.

The DG urged the citizens to remain vigilant while purchasing food items, saying that the PFA teams were continuing strict monitoring to ensure safe and quality food. He asked the public to report violations on the PFA helpline 1223.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2025