The federal govt and the provinces have finally agreed on food quality enforcement. Why did it take them six years?  M Haris

ISLAMABAD: After years of contention and multiple interventions by the Council of Common Interests (CCI), the federal government and provincial food authorities have finally reached an agreement on the enforcement of food quality standards in Pakistan. This consensus comes after a prolonged struggle for authority and control over food quality regulations.

Since the inception of Provincial Food Authorities (PFAs) across all four provinces, there has been a continuous dispute with the Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), the national standards body under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST). The core of the disagreement lay in which entity had the authority to enforce quality standards for food items—a power associated with significant control and potential financial kickbacks for officials.

Despite multiple CCI meetings over six years, the issue remained unresolved. The 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which devolved many powers to the provinces, exacerbated the tug of war between PFAs and PSQCA. While PFAs lacked the mandate to create standards and quality rules for food items—a prerogative of the PSQCA—they sought the authority to enforce these standards, leading to a standoff.

Manufacturers, caught between complying with both PFAs and PSQCA, pushed for a resolution. This pressure culminated in a recent breakthrough during a National Standards Steering Committee (NSSC) meeting at the Ministry of Science and Technology. Attended by representatives from PFAs, PSQCA, and other stakeholders, the meeting marked a significant step towards harmonizing food standards.

The Agreement

According to documents reviewed by this correspondent, PFAs and PSQCA have unanimously agreed on a mechanism for enforcing quality standards and a revenue-sharing formula. Key points of the agreement include:

Implementation and Enforcement: PFAs will now implement and enforce the quality standards for food items as notified by PSQCA. PSQCA’s role will be confined to setting these standards, issuing certificates, and granting logo usage rights.

Operational Changes: PSQCA officers will no longer inspect factories and industrial units; instead, PFA staff will undertake these inspections within provincial limits.

Revenue Sharing: Revenue from PSQCA’s certification marks for the food sector will be shared with PFAs to enhance their testing facilities, after deducting international membership fees and other expenses.

Loose Food Products: For loose food products lacking current standards, PFAs will propose draft standards based on health and safety considerations. PSQCA will provisionally adopt these until they are finalized.

Standard Harmonization: The remaining seven food standards will be harmonized within three months, with PFAs implementing the finalized standards.

Background

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.

The issue was brought to the CCI agenda in 2017 by the then prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. The industry had approached the government, pleading that it was not possible to cater to multiple regulatory regimes and different standards of food laws of the federation and the provinces that had caused confusion on which standards were to be followed.

The CCI decision to implement One Standard across Pakistan also led to the creation of the National Standards Steering Committee (NSSC) under the PSQCA to deliberate upon the updated status of harmonisation of food standards and implementation mechanism of food standards as per the CCI decision.

Nonetheless, the consensus on the issue reached by the CCI is in jeopardy after the Punjab Food Authority’s (PFA) recent decision to implement a QR coding system to help its food safety officers track and trace the product label, approval and registration status.

Like the issue of multiple taxation systems in the country, the enforcement  of quality standards was also an issue for manufacturers and industry. With most food companies having their manufacturing base in a province operating nationwide, they were at a loss to understand how two different agencies/organizations.

In 2021, following a CCI decision, it was agreed that there should be a single food standard nationwide to facilitate harmonization. The food industry had long demanded the elimination of multiple standards imposed by various federal and provincial authorities, which complicated compliance and hindered business operations.

PSQCA’s initiative to reform and harmonize standards aligns with the government’s aim to improve the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB). Despite a clear directive from the Prime Minister’s Office, provinces were initially reluctant to cede enforcement powers to PSQCA due to the associated revenue.

Historically, PSQCA struggled with enforcement due to corruption and inefficiency, leading provincial authorities to assume de facto control. This dual regulatory burden on manufacturers created significant disruption, particularly in interprovincial trade and food manufacturing.

The Ministry of Law, tasked with resolving the legal ambiguities, referred the issue to the CCI. The lack of consensus delayed the development of national standards and the registration and licensing of manufacturers and trading houses. Consequently, CCI intervened to address constitutional and legal ambiguities, review Provincial Food Authorities Acts, and suggest a mechanism for enforcing technical regulations.

The agreement between PFAs and PSQCA marks a pivotal resolution, promising streamlined food quality enforcement and better regulatory coordination across Pakistan.