The Pakistani dairy industry has raised alarm over the smuggled non-compliant Iranian cream finding its way to the shelves of retailers in low-end markets in the country.
Local manufacturers have expressed concerns over these non-compliant creams from Iran that are freely available, despite the legal requirements to check imported processed food products as per local standards. These products are unregulated and can pose to be detrimental to health.
“Smuggled Iranian cream is visible in retail stores of Karachi, Sukkur, Islamabad, Lahore, Sargodha, Peshawar and Jhelum,” CEO Pakistan Dairy Association (PDA) Dr. Shehzad Amin said.
Products other than Iranian cream include UHT liquid milk, dairy cream, flavored milk, etc., and are significantly priced lower than locally produced products, he said, causing a loss to the national exchequer.
“Further penetration of these products in the markets needs to be controlled through strict border monitoring,” Amin said.
The Pakistan Dairy Association, in its letter to Punjab Food Authority and the Federal Board of Revenue Member Customs (Policy), has intimated that the inflow of smuggled products through grey channels are a huge revenue loss to the country and a violation of the labeling requirements set out in SRO 237, apart from the quality and nutrition standards set by provincial food authorities and federal quality regulatory bodies.
In a letter to Pakistan Standard & Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), the PDA emphasized that “Despite the legal requirement to check imported processed food products as per Pakistan Standards and the existence of Pakistan Standards for the aforementioned Dairy Products, unregulated and non-compliant dairy products are available in the market which can be detrimental to health.”
The concerns also draw attention to the absence of Halaal certification, design infringement, labeling anomalies such as missing importer information and absence of nutritional information and allergens, import irregularities, food safety risk, and violation of SRO237.
Key industry representatives are also seeking to meet the FBR member customs policy next week to discuss the illegal arrival of dairy cream from Iran.
Earlier, the federal government had imposed a 17% sales tax on locally manufactured cream, which pushed prices up, paving the way for cheap non-compliant Iranian cream to retail shelves in low markets, causing a huge loss to the government’s revenues and playing with the health of the consumers.
The federal government needs to enforce that all imported dairy products are compliant as per local standards and at par with locally regulated dairy products for the greater good of consumers of Pakistan as well as for promoting fair business practices.
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