LAHORE: The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has decided to make by-laws on functional foods and publish Pure Food Regulations 2019 in the form of a booklet.

A decision to the effect was taken at a meeting of the authority held here on Thursday with Director-General retired Captain Muhammad Usman in the chair.

The DG told Dawn by phone that functional foods used for extra energy like vitamins, minerals and food supplements were hitherto considered as pharmaceutical products and no regulations were framed for them despite a verdict of the Lahore High Court’s Bahawalpur bench that these should be included in food category.

He said the companies manufacturing the functional foods had neither got their products registered with the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) nor with the food agency and were selling these items without any check on the quality of ingredients, formulas and expiry dates.

After preliminary discussion, he said, it was decided to bring the food supplements, energy drinks and vitamins under a regulatory framework.PFA technical wing had been directed to work on the issue, he added.

He said the wing had also been asked to frame Pure Food Regulations 2019 in the form of a compendium so that these might be publicised and provided to the people associated with the food industry and for the benefit of the public.

Meanwhile, a PFA team led by retired Capt Usman raided a factory manufacturing fake carbonated drink in the basement of a house.

The team confiscated 12,000 litres of soft drink to be labeled as of different popular brands. Thirteen gas cylinders, four filling machines, a huge quantity of fake labels and bottle caps were also seized during the raid.

The DG claimed that the adultrators attempted to dispose of the fake beverages into sewer lines by shutting the factory gate when the raiding team reached there. The officials were also shown the production of licenced juices and cold drinks to hoodwink them.

The fake drinks were to be supplied during Eid days in different areas of the metropolis and its suburbs.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2019