The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) on Monday sealed suspected food outlets after two girls died from alleged food poisoning in Gujranwala’s Eminabad, a notification said.
International kabaddi player and father of victims Naveed Pehlwan told Dawn.com that the family had ordered food during a birthday party.
“The family, including me, my wife and five children, were taken to the hospital after feeling sick,” he said.
He added that two of the children, an 8-year-old and a 4-year-old, passed away while two others were in critical condition.
“On the directions of Punjab Food Authority Director General Muhammad Asim Javaid, food safety teams conducted a crackdown in Eminabad following the alleged death of two minor girls due to toxic food,” according to a PFA handout seen by Dawn.com.
The operations were carried out from the identification of the suspected food outlets by the family, the statement read.
It said, “During the raid, two food outlets were sealed and various food samples, including cake, cream, red chilli powder, cooking oil, and chicken, were collected and sent to the laboratory for analysis.”
The statement quoted the PFA spokesperson as saying that further action will be taken once laboratory reports are received.
He further said, “[The] initial medical findings revealed the children had been unwell for several days and were already under treatment. Meanwhile case is also under police investigation,” he added.
PFA DG Javaid said that the food outlets that were involved in compromising public health will face strict action according to food safety laws, the statement added.
Last week, a Rawalpindi woman was in critical condition at the hospital after her three children died due to food poisoning.
In April, a food poisoning affected approximately 1,500 people in the Dhoong village of Gujar Khan, while the cause was unknown to the authorities and residents.
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