ISLAMABAD: Despite the lapse of 90 days since the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed authorities to enforce mandatory food-grade polypropylene packaging for wheat flour, the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has yet to implement the court’s orders, raising concerns over public health and food safety.
The issue was highlighted in a letter sent by Iskander Khan, Chairman Pakistan Polypropylene Woven Sack Manufacturers Association (PPWSMA) to PSQCA Director General Dr. Sayeda Zia Batool, urging immediate implementation of Gazette Notification PS:3128-2017(R) and compliance with the IHC judgment.
According to the association, millions of non-food-grade sacks manufactured from recycled municipal waste, hospital waste, batteries, and other hazardous materials are still being used for the packaging of atta across the country.
The association stated that the continued use of such substandard bags poses serious health risks to consumers and violates the standards already notified under PS:3128-2017(R), which mandate the use of one-side laminated and one-side woven polypropylene sacks for wheat flour packaging.
In its communication to the PSQCA, the PPWSMA referred to the Islamabad High Court’s decision directing authorities to ensure enforcement of food-grade packaging standards. However, it expressed concern that even after 90 days, the judgment remained unimplemented.
The letter noted that the mandatory use of laminated polypropylene sacks was introduced not only to ensure food safety but also to minimize flour wastage during transportation and storage. Under the notified standards, the use of proper laminated bags can significantly reduce “dusting” and leakage of wheat flour.
Quoting the gazette notification, the association pointed out that “to ensure food security by minimizing over 5% of dusting of wheat flour, it is mandatory to use one-side laminated and one-side woven polypropylene sack to reduce the dusting up to 0.05%.”
The association requested the PSQCA to formally insert clear wording in the Article/Process section of the First and Second Schedule specifying the use of “one-side laminated polypropylene woven sacks for transportation of food items such as wheat flour, suji and maida.”
Industry representatives argue that the non-implementation of the court order is causing large-scale financial losses and compromising food quality. They maintain that ordinary recycled sacks are often manufactured from contaminated materials that are unsafe for direct food contact.
The Islamabad High Court, while hearing the matter earlier, had observed that food safety regulations and gazette notifications cannot remain merely on paper and must be enforced in the larger public interest. The court reportedly directed federal and provincial authorities to ensure compliance with PSQCA-certified food-grade packaging standards.
The PPWSMA warned that continued inaction by regulators was undermining both public health and food security, particularly at a time when wheat flour remains the staple food for millions of Pakistanis.
“Atta is a staple food of our masses; non-implementation of the Honorable Islamabad High Court’s decision is depriving roti to our people,” the association said in its letter.
The matter is likely to intensify pressure on the PSQCA and other relevant authorities to enforce the IHC directives and crack down on the use of hazardous, non-certified packaging materials in the flour industry.