Creation of an inter-provincial committee has been proposed by the Pakistan Business Council, under the Ministry of Science and Technology for formulation of harmonized national food standards in line with the Codex Alimentarius.
Council CEO Ehsan A. Malik has suggested that the committee should include representatives of the respective provincial food authorities and the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA).
The PSQCA, which operates under the ministry, is charged with developing and overseeing national standards. Malik pointed out that after the 18th Amendment the right to legislate the food manufacturing industry rests with the provinces, and unless steps are taken to manage this, there could be multiple and conflicting regimes of food regulations in Pakistan. In turn, this could prevent national foods companies from operating freely across provinces.
Malik also mentioned that the practice of varied provincial food laws is not in consonance with constitutional requirements and the spirit of Article 151, which is designed to facilitate a single market in the country.
Any directions from the provinces, which are not in line with federal standards mandated by the PSQCA, should be withdrawn until consensus is reached on how to proceed. The CEO proposed that one national standard should be adopted by all provinces and its implementation overseen by the provincial food authorities.
