LAHORE: The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has declared 283 food handlers ‘ill’ and stopped them from preparing food.

It was revealed in a monthly progress report of medical screening from April 15 to May 15 on Wednesday.

According to the report, blood samples of 3,305 food handlers out of 3,588 were found cleared while 283 failed in the medical screening test. Of the 283 people, 58 were suffering from Hepatitis C virus, 45 from Hepatitis B, 47 from tuberculosis and 133 others from typhoid.

PFA spokesperson Qaiser Abbas said laboratories were established for medical screening of the food handlers/workers.

He said they were screening the food business workers to ensure safety of the foodstuff and PFA would not allow sick workers in the industry.

He said the food industry should allocate funds for the health of their workers suffering from diseases.

He said PFA had also allocated funds for treatment of ill workers after diagnosing them.

Meanwhile, the authority has also issued an advisory for the fasting people, asking them to prefer fiber rich diet and avoid oily stuff.

People can visit the recently launched PFA Nutrition Clinic for diet plan.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2018