Food for thought for food regulators.

Webinar on 'Halal Industry in Pakistan: Potential and Challenges' organised very recently by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), has rightly pointed out that the volume of global Halal food trade is more than $3 trillion though Pakistan's share is barely 0.25 percent and there is a need to increase. As such there is a need to increase Pakistan's Halal food production and exports of semi-cooked meat, which holds high demand in China and other Far East countries. The government and private sector must take proactive initiatives to explore the true potential of 'Made in Pakistan' products and go for a niche in the global market.

The webinar also suggested that it should be made mandatory for all imports of Pakistan to be Halal-certified. Moreover, Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) should be strengthened to fulfil the mandatory standards requirement of other countries.

In this regard the decision of the Council of Common Interest (CCI) is indeed can be termed as a good initiative. As per decision, PSQCA will be the only authorized agency to establish and implement a uniform food standard for all the four provinces of the country, very much like USDA which regulates food safety aspect of packed and branded products in USA. But there is a need to define PSQCA's mandate in clear terms to avoid confusion and erroneous interpretations. In fact, there is a need to extend the scope of PSQCA so that beside formulating, implementing and monitoring the food safety standards for branded packed food and drinks, it should also take care of various other burning issues, which either need amendments or change.

While PSQCA exclusively regulates the packed and branded foods, district and town administration should regulate the safety standards of restaurants and street vendors selling raw meat and different kinds of cooked and uncooked items, keeping in view the ground realities of the particular district and town.

Here it is pertinent to mention that PSQCA's responsibility is critically important because unless these issues are resolved Pakistan will continue to lag behind in the ease of doing business. Therefore, it is imperative that PSCQA discusses these issues at length with all the major stakeholders to hammer out a consensual rational and practicable food safety regulations to ensure continuing supply of packed branded food products in the local market that are safe for human consumption.

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