Federal body on food standards on the cards

LAHORE: In the name of harmonisation of standards, establishment of a new federal body is under discussion which will turn all provincial food authorities to mere watchdogs, making it easier for industry to manipulate.

A meeting of Council of Common Interest (CCI) is scheduled to take place in Islamabad on Monday (today) to discuss the issue. The meeting, if successful, will be a big blow to the Punjab Food Authority (PFA), which is actively busy in making and enforcing regulations to streamline food items across the province.

Sources in PFA revealed that the issue was started once the authority banned carbonated drinks in schools across Punjab, banned production of Vanaspati ghee by 2020 and regulated infant formula. PFA also banned sale of tea whitener in the name of milk and vegetable fats in the name of ice cream.

All these measures of PFA, which are in favour to improve the health of the general public, caused panic among the industrial circles and they started to think ways to clip the wings of PFA, thus to reduce it to a toothless body, sources maintained.

Recently, an effort is underway to curb the working and actions of PFA by taking it to the CCI in the name of harmonisation of standards, sources said, adding the interim government, working out of its ambient, forwarded the summary to the CCI whereas the interim government was supposed to run day to day affairs only.

Sources said historically food has been a provincial subject and questioning the jurisdiction of a provincial watchdog on a provincial matter seems out of bounds. Sources further claimed that any effort to clip the wings of Punjab Food Authority will be against 18th Amendment, which gives autonomy to provinces.

On the other hand, the industry and federal regulatory body PSQCA takes the stance of inter provincial trade as being a national domain. It is noteworthy, that globally federating units/states make their own laws on specific matters and in so far as they are not discriminatory to a certain product/company/or other entity, the issue of global trade issues does not rise.

A senior PFA official seeking anonymity said that the Punjab Food Authority has standards and regulations to which all wishing to sell in Punjab must abide. The issue of discriminatory behaviour is not relevant per se.

On the other hand, PFA is all set to defend its independence as PFA’s director general along with a team of experts will attend the upcoming CCI meeting. When contacted, PFA’s spokesman said that the authority will give its point of view after the occurrence of CCI meeting.

Khurram Leghari, Adviser to CM on Food said that any effort to clip the wings of PFA will be defended. He said CCI can’t change the Constitution and food was a provincial subject. He said the present government is determined to ensure clean and hygienic food to the citizens. “We are going to start an indiscriminate action against corrupt practices in food industry,” Leghari concluded.