The Islamabad Food Authority (IFA) has sealed two facilities, Haideri Beverages and Beverages Plus, the main distributor of Pepsi, located in Humak Model Town, Islamabad, following a raid over serious food safety violations.
According to sources, the operation was carried out without prior notice in coordination with the ICT Assistant Commissioner after authorities received information about potential health hazards.
During the inspection, officials allegedly found expired and fungus infested sugar being used in the production of Pepsi and other beverages.
The inspection team recorded four major violations.
These included non-compliance with previous instructions issued by the IFA, the discovery of around 150 sugar bags with tampered expiry dates, cockroach infestation on sugar bags and sugar being stored directly on the floor in violation of hygiene and safety standards.
Officials also collected two samples of spilled sugar for laboratory testing. Pending the results, the authority took sweeping action by sealing 54,874 sugar bags across both facilities.
In addition, entire warehouses were sealed and all production, sale and purchase activities were suspended until further notice.
Sources said the expired sugar alone is worth millions of rupees underlining the scale of the alleged violation.
ProPakistani has sought a response from Pepsi and said it will update the story if a comment is received from the company.
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