ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Polypropylene Woven Sack Manufacturers Association (PPWSMA) has raised serious concerns over the continued use of substandard and non-food-grade sacks for wheat flour packaging, leading to an estimated loss of Rs594 billion in seven years due to product wastage and contamination.

In a letter to the Ministry of Food Security, PPWSMA has added that wheat flour was the lifeline of millions of Pakistanis who eat daily; therefore, protecting the quality of wheat flour and preventing its wastage in the supply chain was essential.

It has been highlighted that every year, hundreds of thousands of wheat flour bags become unusable or damaged during storage and transportation due to the use of low-quality, non-compliant packaging materials.

“This leads to direct losses of wheat flour falling from the sacks made from recycled material or thin cloth bags, during stacking and transportation,” PPWSMA letter has said.

The association has reiterated its demand that the government should immediately enforce SRO 46(I)/2017 across all provinces and ban the use of substandard and non-food-grade sacks for packaging wheat flour.

The Ministry of National Food Security & Research has been asked to promote the adoption of certified polypropylene woven sacks, which meet international food-grade and safety standards.

Iskandar Khan, Chairman of the association, has said that the price differential in the bag of certified polypropylene woven sacks and the ordinary sacks was Rs9 for a 20 kg bag and Rs7 10 kg bag.

“But up to half a kg of wheat flour is lost after passing through the low-quality sacks from filling to the consumer’s kitchen,” Mr Khan added.

PPWSMA has added that protecting the quality of essential commodities like wheat flour was not only an economic issue but a matter of public health and national food security.

The PPWSMA, expressing concerns over national food security in the country, has referred to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) that around 11 million people in Pakistan face acute food insecurity.

The Association has demanded that the government enforce the mandatory use of food-grade sacks for all wheat flour distributed in the market and ensure all mills and suppliers comply with quality and certification standards set forth in SRO 46(I)/2017.

The government has been asked to conduct regular inspections and impose penalties on non-compliant parties to uphold food safety and consumer rights.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2025