Punjab: Expired imported food items being sold with fake expiry dates

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Food Department officials not allowed inspection of imported articles despite repeated requests
* Officials not allowed to arrest violators even if they are caught red-handed

By Afnan Khan

LAHORE: A large number of expired beverages and edibles are being imported and supplied across the province with forged expiry dates through the Lahore Dry Port under the nose of the officials concerned.

Sources in the Pakistan Customs said the officials deployed on the port do not allow officials from the Food Department to inspect the expiry dates and quality of food articles being imported from different parts of the world, especially from the Middle East. They said the officials at the dry port directly handed over the edibles to importers on the reports of other laboratories.

Not allowed: The District Food Department recently seized two containers of expired juices that were imported from the Middle East a few weeks ago. “The Customs officials are supposed to call the District Food Department to inspect the content and quality of the food items being imported into the country before releasing them to the businessmen. But how can we do anything if they don’t even let us enter the port, let alone inspect anything? We have even made multiple requests to the officials concerned but they just prefer other laboratories,” Lahore Chief Food Inspector Chaudhry Mohammad Ayub said. He said expired juices were imported in the country and distributed due to the involvement of corrupt officials. Ayub said the department’s teams had conducted several raids and recovered similar food items. He said recently raids had been conducted on warehouses in Garhi Shahu and Band Road, adding that a huge amount of expired food items with fake expiry dates were recovered from them.

Arrest: Another Food Department official said the department was not authorised to arrest people even if they were caught red handed, adding that it was only authorised to challan the warehouse owners and they were punished through courts. He said the expired items were sold in the city’s wholesale markets. He said legally food items that had at least six months to expire could be imported, adding that people were either purchasing expired items from corrupt officials in other countries or getting items close to their expiry dates approved by corrupt officials concerned. He said the authorities concerned should intervene and take stern action as people were being provided with poison in exchange for their money.

Lahore Dry Port Customs Collector Ali Salmaan Abassi said he was unaware of any such issue but would look into the matter. “I am not aware of the background or context of the issue. I’ll explain anything you inquire if you visit the dry port some time,” Abassi said.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...09_pg13_11