Islamabad:Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH), together with public health experts, civil society organizations, consumer rights advocates, and academicians has called on the Government of Pakistan to expedite enactment of mandatory Front-of-Pack Warning Labels (FOPWL) on ultra-processed food and beverage products to reduce their consumption, protect consumers, and help promote healthier food choices.
“Informed consumers and healthier food environments are essential to reduce Pakistan’s growing burden of non-communicable diseases,” said Sana Ullah Ghumman, General Secretary PANAH. Pakistan faces a rapidly growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which inflicts huge public health and economic costs on both the government and the public. A significant proportion of these diseases are associated with diet-related risk factors like high intake of sodium/salt, sugar, trans fats, saturated fats, and non-sugar sweeteners, he said.
The rising consumption of ultra-processed food and beverage products is responsible for the growing intake of such nutrients of concern, which are often found in high levels in such products. In this regard, the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination submitted an evidence-based proposal aligned with global best practices to Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), through the Ministry of Science and Technology on the recommendations of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Health. This important proposal for enactment of front of pack warning labels on ultra-processed food and beverage products is under discussion and deliberation for the last two years in various technical committees of PSQCA, said Ghumman.
“While we appreciate the progress made so far by PSQCA and national experts on this subject, we respectfully urge the Government of Pakistan to expedite the enactment of mandatory FOPWLs on ultra-processed food and beverage products,” he said.
He added that FOPWLs are a policy tool that provide simplified nutritional information on the front of ultra-processed products, enabling consumers to make informed purchasing decisions and choose healthier options, even in low literacy settings. “Food products that exceed WHO-recommended thresholds for sugars, saturated and trans fats, sodium, or that contain non-sugar sweeteners, should be required to display a black octagonal warning label in Urdu indicating high levels of these ingredients”.
Credible global and national evidence, including a series of recently published research in The Lancet, strongly support the adoption of this FOPWL policy as the best practice for consumers having low literacy settings, he added.
“It is disappointing that certain segments of the food industry and their front groups are attempting to mislead policymakers in order to oppose or delay this important public health and consumer protection policy aimed at reducing the burden of disease and associated healthcare costs. Policy-making process must remain guided by independent scientific evidence and public health priorities, free from undue commercial influence,” Ghumman emphasized.
He said that several countries have already implemented front-of-pack warning labels within the framework of applicable international law, and the Codex Alimentarius Commission also provides relevant guidance and does not contradict Front of Pack Warning Labels.
“Evidence demonstrates that industry-led self-regulatory labeling schemes have repeatedly proven inadequate in protecting consumers. Mandatory and standardized warning labels are therefore essential to ensure transparency, consistency, and equitable consumer protection to achieve public health goals, particularly for children and other vulnerable populations,” said Ghumman.
