Tetra Pak Calls for Urgent Action to Strengthen Pakistan’s Food Systems Amid Nutrition Crisis

Pakistan faces a mounting nutrition crisis that demands more than just expanding food supply, according to experts. At a two-day high-level dialogue in Islamabad, Tetra Pak emphasized the need for a comprehensive overhaul of food safety, taxation, processing, storage, and distribution to tackle malnutrition and unleash the wider economic potential of Pakistan's food and dairy sectors.

Noor Aftab, Director of Corporate Affairs for Tetra Pak in Pakistan, Middle East, North, and West Africa, stressed the pivotal role of policy and private-sector investment in constructing a more resilient and competitive food value chain. During the panel discussion, Noor Aftab urged for extensive reforms in food-safety laws and taxation.

He underscored the urgent need to revise food-safety legislation to facilitate the delivery of secure, scalable, and processed nutritional products. Structural fiscal reforms and taxation relief are crucial to maintaining essential, nutrient-dense foods affordable for the general public, especially in light of high inflation and dwindling purchasing power.

"Pakistan's nutrition challenge extends beyond food availability. It revolves around ensuring the safety and quality of nutritious products while efficiently reaching consumers affordably," Noor Aftab stated. He highlighted that even a nutritionally rich food item can pose risks if it is not safe for consumption. Food safety serves as the "critical middle" of the food system, where processing, packaging, logistics, storage, and transportation play a vital role in ensuring food safety.

In the dairy sector, which is among the world's largest milk producers, there exists a significant opportunity to capitalize on these principles to drive broader economic and nutritional gains. However, Pakistan's average milk yields remain considerably lower than those achieved in leading dairy markets, presenting a chance to boost productivity while enhancing the economic viability of dairy farming.

A higher level of productivity, coupled with increased processing capacity and a robust food safety framework, could substantially expand the economic potential of Pakistan's dairy industry. School feeding programs exemplify how nutrition interventions can yield wider benefits when supported by robust food systems and maintain strong partnerships.

Tetra Pak has been involved in school milk programs globally since 1962, providing millions of children with milk and fortified beverages in Tetra Pak packages across various countries. The high-level dialogue underscored that 4 out of every 10 children under five in Pakistan are stunted, a situation described as a "national emergency."

The consensus among the panel was that addressing malnutrition requires addressing supply chain incentives, enhancing workforce capabilities, and standardizing food safety across the country.