ISLAMABAD: Provincial food regulations were introduced in Pakistan which is unfortunate, because if international food standards were followed in the country, Pakistan could earn a lot from the export of edibles, said Federal Minister for Defence Production, Rana Tanveer Hussain on Wednesday,

The minister was speaking at a national conference titled ‘Food Safety and Harmonisation: Shaping a Healthier Nation’ which was organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology in collaboration with Nestle Pakistan.

Speakers at the event discussed the need for harmonizing food legislation in Pakistan to ensure food quality and standards which protect consumer health and facilitate domestic and international trade.

“Pakistan’s food industry is the second largest and plays a key role in the country’s economic growth. Harmonized food standards protect consumers,” Mr Hussain said.

He said the absence of a national food standards council is also a problem and that the council should have been established much earlier.

Awilo Ochieng Pernet, chairperson of CODEX Alimentarius Commission, which works for the protection of consumer health and promotes fair practices in food trade, said she has come to know that a national food safety bill has been prepared and hoped it will pass through parliament.

“The harmonization of food standards is very important as they are scientific and are developed after risk assessment by WHO. The lack of harmonization will lead to lack of food standards which will affect consumer health and will create trade barriers,” she said.

Nestlé Pakistan CEO Bruno Olierhoek said there should be a national food council on the federal level for making one national food standard for the whole country while all provincial food authorities should be responsible for enforcing these standards.

He also urged for harmonising the standards with CODEX International Standards so trade can be facilitated.

Federal Minister for Commerce Mohammad Pervez Malik said unsafe food causes more than 200 million deaths across the world while secretary Board of Investment (BOI), Azhar Ali Chaudhry said food safety and the harmonization of standards are an integral part of the BOI’s objectives for creating an investment friendly environment.

“The food sector is sensitive because food is difficult to manage without set standards. Adopting internationally accepted standards will be conducive to trade and will also likely reduce the costs for developing nation specific standards,” he said.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2017