LAHORE: Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) under the ministry of science and technology in collaboration with Nestlé Pakistan is organising a national conference titled, “Food safety and harmonisation: shaping a healthier nation”, a statement said on Friday. The conference aims at addressing the issues around food harmonization, it added. Food regulations remain fragmented in Pakistan, causing barriers to trade between provinces and federal and lead to increased complexity, which adversely affects foreign investment. Outgoing chairperson of Codex Alimentarius Commission Awilo Ochieng Pernet will grace the conference and will highlight the need of science-based harmonised regulation for Pakistan. Elaborating on the need for harmonization, Dr Shahzad Alam, chairman of PCSIR, said: "Harmonisation of food safety legislation based on scientific principles, in line with CODEX standards and guidelines, will lead towards the promotion of trade and safety of consumers.” “In Pakistan, it is the need of the time for developing uniform food standards at national level in accordance with the international best practices,” he added.
