Unification of Food Standards by elimination of multiple standards at federation and provinces |
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Reform ID | F002 | |
Reform Description | Same Food Standards Now Applicable to All Food Businesses Across Pakistan
Before: Manufacturers of food products had to get certified against multiple standards of different provinces and the federal government. |
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Sector | Food Processing | |
Beneficiaries | All Food Sector Businesses (Including SMEs) | |
Jurisdiction/Location | Federal and Provincial (Entire Pakistan) | |
Department | Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority (PSQCA)
Punjab Food Authority Sindh Food Authority KP Food Authority Baluchistan Food Authority |
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Date of Implementation | 20-08-2021 | |
Details |
Difficulty |
● After devolution in 2011, food became a provincial subject. Overtime, the provincial food authorities developed their own food standards which resulted in multiple standard regimes.
● Hence, compliance to different sets of standards across provinces required extra resources, including time, effort, and money to make themselves eligible to sell. ● This was an extra burden for food manufacturers who wished to expand their operations across provincial borders. |
Analysis | ● Due to the constitutional provisions, provinces had independent jurisdiction over regulating food products. However, it was possible to harmonize the standards across the country. | |
Solution | ● The Federal and Provincial Governments discussed this difficulty of businesses in the Council of Common Interests (CCI) who decided that there should be single national standards throughout the country.
● PSQCA and provincial food authorities collaborated to analyze different standards to select the most appropriate ones for common adoption. ● Resultantly, 175 food standards have been notified which are being used by all authorities. |
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Reference Document |
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