Dr Bilawal kamran
Food quality standards are the criteria that define the safety, wholesomeness, and nutritional value of food products. They also specify the requirements for producing, processing, packaging, labelling, storing, and distributing food products. Food quality standards aim to protect consumers’ health, ensure fair trade practices, and facilitate the harmonization of food regulations among countries. Food quality standards can be classified into two categories: mandatory and voluntary. The government or other authorities legally enforce mandatory standards that must be complied with by all food operators. Private organizations or industry associations develop voluntary standards that can be adopted by food operators voluntarily. Voluntary standards may offer higher levels of quality or safety than mandatory standards or may address specific aspects of food quality that are not covered by mandatory standards.
Some examples of food quality standards are:
- Codex Alimentarius: The Codex Alimentarius is a collection of international food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice that are developed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), a joint body of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The Codex Alimentarius covers a wide range of food products and issues, such as food additives, contaminants, hygiene, labelling, nutrition, biotechnology, and organic foods. The Codex Alimentarius is recognized as the reference point for food safety and quality by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its members.
- ISO 22000: ISO 22000 is an international standard that specifies the requirements for a food safety management system (FSMS) that can be applied to any organization in the food chain, from farm to fork. ISO 22000 provides a framework for identifying and controlling food safety hazards, as well as working together with other ISO management standards, such as ISO 9001 for quality management. ISO 22000 is based on the principles of risk analysis and continuous improvement.
- Halal: Halal is an Arabic term that means permissible or lawful according to Islamic law. Halal food is food that conforms to the rules and regulations of Islam regarding its sources, ingredients, processing methods, and handling. Halal food must not contain any prohibited substances or components, such as pork, alcohol, blood, or animal-derived enzymes. Halal food must also be prepared and processed using clean and sanitary equipment and utensils that are free from contamination by non-halal substances. Halal certification is a process of verifying and attesting that a food product meets the halal requirements of an authorized halal certification body.
Food quality standards for quality, hygienic and pure food are essential for ensuring the safety and satisfaction of consumers, as well as the competitiveness and sustainability of food businesses. However, meeting these standards can pose various challenges for food operators, especially in developing countries like Pakistan. Many food operators in Pakistan may need to be made aware of the existence or importance of food quality standards or may need more knowledge or skills to implement them effectively. This may result in non-compliance with the standards or poor quality of food products.
Many food operators in Pakistan may need more resources or infrastructure to meet the requirements of food quality standards, such as equipment, facilities, personnel, training, testing, certification, or traceability systems. This may limit their ability to produce safe and high-quality food products. Pakistan has multiple authorities and agencies that are responsible for regulating different aspects of food safety and quality at the federal and provincial levels. However, there may be gaps or overlaps in their roles and responsibilities or inconsistencies or conflicts in their policies and regulations. This may need clarification or difficulties for food operators to comply with the standards or to access domestic or international markets. Many consumers in Pakistan may need to be made aware of or interested in food quality standards or may not trust the claims or labels of food products regarding their quality or safety. This may reduce the incentives or benefits for food operators to adopt or improve their food quality standards.
To overcome these challenges and meet the international food quality standards, Pakistan can take some measures such as:
- Enhancing education and awareness: Pakistan can increase the education and awareness of both food operators and consumers about the importance and benefits of food quality standards, as well as the requirements and procedures to comply with them. This can be done through various channels such as media campaigns, workshops, seminars, publications, websites, or mobile applications.
- Improving resources and infrastructure: Pakistan can invest in improving the resources and infrastructure to meet food quality standards, such as upgrading equipment, facilities, personnel, training, testing, certification, or traceability systems. This can be done through various sources such as government funding, private sector investment, donor assistance, or public-private partnerships.
- Strengthening coordination and harmonization: Pakistan can strengthen the coordination and harmonization of food safety and quality regulations and standards among different authorities and agencies at the federal and provincial levels, as well as with international organizations and trading partners. This can be done through various mechanisms such as inter-agency committees, memoranda of understanding, mutual recognition agreements, or regional or bilateral cooperation.
- Increasing consumer demand and trust: Pakistan can increase consumer demand and trust for food quality standards by improving the transparency and credibility of food quality claims and labels and enforcing and monitoring food quality compliance. This can be done through various means, such as consumer education, market research, feedback systems, third-party verification, or legal actions.
Food is a devolved subject; therefore, provinces are legislative, administratively and legally competent to regulate the food sector in provinces. Further, exclusive food departments alongside authorities, attached departments and other institutions are in place to regulate the whole chain and quality system of food in the provinces. For example, the province of Punjab has an administrative department of food with specific rules of business followed by legal, administrative and official regulations. Punjab Food Authority is the off-shoot of the Food Department, mandated to maintain the food standards. Therefore, there is a need to enhance the capacity, legal efficiency, and standards of PFA and other such institutions to meet the objectives of food standards.
