All leading associations of multinational/ foreign companies, manufacturers, trade bodies and overseas investors have jointly approached the federal government to stop Punjab Food Authority (PFA) from ‘illegal’ implementation of the track-and-trace system (TTS) on food products.Foreign investors and big corporate entities/ manufacturers are unanimous over the required approval of the Pakistan Standards Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) for implementing track-and-trace system of the PFA. The method to introduce a track-and-trace system should be consonant with the spirit of the Council of Common Interests’ (CCI) decision to harmonize food standards and the mechanisms to enforce those standards, multinational companies added.

In this regard, Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICC), Pakistan Business Council (PBC) and chambers and commerce including Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) have collectively raised their voice against the PFA’s new QR coding system for food products.

Keeping in view the sensitivity of the situation, the Prime Minister Office and the Board of Investment (BOI) have also intervened to stop the PFA from implementing the said system till fulfilment of legal formalities under the decisions of the CCI.