Pakistan Youth Change Advocates (PYCA) has called for safeguards to protect the integrity of Pakistan’s national food standards-setting process. The call follows concerns over proposed changes to the composition of the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority’s (PSQCA) Standard Setting Committee for Agriculture and Food Products (NSCAF). The call highlights the need for transparency, evidence-based decision-making, and swift measures to prevent conflicts of interest in the food standard-setting process.
International guidance, including the World Health Organization’s (WHO) framework on conflict of interest, provides clear guidance that where a food industry is directly regulated by a public-health policy, its participation shall not extend to the policy formulation process, regulatory decision-making, standard-setting, enforcement, monitoring of its own activities, or selection of entities responsible for such functions. Its participation, where considered appropriate, shall be limited to transparent consultation or clearly defined implementation activities subject to independent oversight and documented conflict-of-interest safeguards. The framework provides a practical distinction between legitimate stakeholder consultation and industry participation in regulatory decision-making.
In a press statement issued in Islamabad, PYCA welcomed PSQCA’s prompt response to concerns raised last week and its decision to postpone the scheduled committee meeting. However, the organization stressed that the immediate priority must be to ensure that any future decisions regarding the committee’s composition follow transparent procedures, involve inclusive consultation, and provide adequate representation for public-health professionals and civil society experts with relevant standards-setting experience. Clear conflict-of-interest disclosure requirements must also be established for all members to ensure that decisions serve the public interest.
“Any proposed reconstitution of the committee should involve meaningful consultations with stakeholders including provincial food authorities, civil society organizations, public health experts, credible food scientists, independent academicians, and the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, as the federal custodian of public health,” said Areebah Shahid, Executive Director of PYCA. “It is essential to prevent direct or indirect commercial influence by food and beverage companies, including influence exercised through front groups, in the national food standards-setting process.”
She added, “National food standards have direct implications for public health and consumer protection. Decisions about who participates in developing these standards are therefore as important as the standards themselves. The process must preserve meaningful participation by independent civil society and public-health voices, alongside relevant government institutions and technical experts.”
Afshar Iqbal, Director of Communications and Advocacy at PYCA, emphasized the importance of international principles in protecting the independence of food standards-setting.
“International guidance, including the Codex Alimentarius, underscores the importance of impartiality, scientific integrity, and the protection of public-health from any commercial influence. Food standards-setting must be guided by independent scientific evidence and the public interest, with rigorous safeguards to protect consumers. Transparency, institutional independence, and accountability are essential to ensuring that national standards serve public health rather than vested commercial interests,” he said.
