Islamabad, (TW) — The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) brought together senior officials from Provincial Food Authorities across Pakistan in Islamabad for a high-level workshop to enhance food regulatory practices in Pakistan.
The workshop, entitled “Designing and Operating Food Regulatory Functions,” gathered Director Generals, Directors, and Technical Officials from all Provincial Authorities of Pakistan, including Azad Jammu Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, and the Islamabad Food Authority. Professor Samuel Godefroy, an expert in Food Risk Analysis and Regulatory Policies at Laval University and former Director General of the Food Directorate under the Federal Department of Health in Canada, delivered the sessions in this three-day workshop from 25 to 27 June 2024.
Participants reviewed core food regulatory functions, focusing on best practices in managing food business operations to protect consumers and promote optimal food handling among local producers. The workshop highlighted the collaborative nature of food safety regulations and emphasized the importance of fostering compliance among food producers in Pakistan. Through a SWOT analysis, participants assessed their performance. They drafted recommendations to enhance food safety, including increased collaboration at federal, provincial, and territorial levels, enhanced food regulatory science capacity, and improved governance of food safety decision-making.
Participants reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining a predictable, transparent, collaborative, and evidence-based food regulatory environment. They also emphasized the need for stronger collaboration with the food production sector and other stakeholders to ensure the improved standards of food safety across Pakistan.
This workshop represents a significant step forward in strengthening Pakistan’s food regulatory framework, contributing to the protection of consumers and the advancement of best practices in food handling and safety.
PAFAID is a four-year JICA-funded project being implemented by UNIDO in close coordination with the Government of Pakistan. It aims at improving pilot applications of compliance capacities and value-addition practices in the cattle meat value chain in KP province and the apple value chain in Balochistan province. For more information, please visit the website www.pafaid.org