The government has ordered nationwide action to improve food quality after laboratory testing found major deficiencies in banaspati ghee, cooking oil and milk products across Pakistan.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal chaired a meeting of the National Price Monitoring Committee on Wednesday to review a Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) report on food quality, along with an Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority report on differences between official and market LPG prices.
PCSIR tested 491 samples of banaspati ghee, edible oils and milk products collected from all provinces. Several samples failed prescribed standards because of excessive trans fat, peroxide values, free fatty acids, rancidity, moisture and other quality issues.
The most serious concerns emerged in banaspati ghee. Twenty-six samples contained excessive trans fat, with the highest level reaching 15.87 grams per 100 grams, compared with the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority limit of 2 grams.
Vitamin A was also absent from 46 ghee samples, while 22 samples recorded excessive peroxide values.
The failure rate varied significantly across regions. Balochistan recorded the highest nonconformity rate at 79.4 percent, followed by Sindh at 63.3 percent and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 58.3 percent. Punjab recorded 15.9 percent, while Islamabad Capital Territory had a 5.5 percent failure rate.
Cooking oil samples also showed widespread problems. Around 47.7 percent of samples tested in Sindh and 46.6 percent in Balochistan failed to meet required standards. Three of the four refined palm olein samples tested were also nonconforming.
Milk products raised further concerns. All 26 nonconforming packaged liquid milk samples had milk fat below the required standard, while all eight nonconforming milk powder samples had protein levels below the prescribed range.
Iqbal directed relevant regulators to take action against manufacturers producing substandard products, stressing that retailers should not bear responsibility for quality problems originating during manufacturing.
He also called for a coordinated food quality monitoring system involving authorities from all four provinces, with clear procedures for handling violations.
The minister ordered regular food testing, including markets in rural areas, as part of a quarterly monitoring mechanism.
Iqbal warned that testing more categories of food products could reveal additional quality problems. He said improving food standards was essential for protecting consumers as well as increasing Pakistan’s potential to compete in international export markets.
The government, he said, does not intend to shut down industries but wants manufacturers to improve standards and ensure consumers receive safe and quality products.
The complete PCSIR report has also been directed to be shared with the Ministry of National Food Security and Research for further action.
