ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan National Heart Association (Panah) has urged the government to expedite the introduction of mandatory front-of-pack warning labels (FOPWLs) on ultra-processed food products containing excessive sugar, sodium and unhealthy fats.
The demand was made at the fifth meeting of the think-tank chaired by its president Maj Gen (retd) Masud Rehman Kiani and attended by health experts, policymakers and civil society representatives.
Participants expressed concern over the growing burden of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the country, and called for urgent measures to improve the food environment.
Mr Kiani said consumers had a right to know what they were eating and should be able to understand nutritional risks without having to consult experts.
He said Pakistan should benefit from the experience of countries that had already introduced front-ofpack warning labels, adding that there was no justification for further delays.
PanahSecretaryGeneral Sanaullah Ghumman said the Ministry of Health had already submitted an evidence-based proposal on warning labels to the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) through the Ministry of Science and Technology. Staff Reporter