In a significant move towards promoting healthier eating habits and combating health issues caused by unhealthy food consumption, the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has mandated all restaurants and hotels to disclose nutrition information on their food items.
This initiative, known as Front-of-Pack Labelling (FOPL), requires establishments to provide details such as calorie/energy, sodium, fats, sugar, and allergen contents on their standard menus for public awareness.
Addressing Health Concerns Through Nutrition Information
The PFA‘s primary objective is to tackle the prevalence of hydrogenated fats in Punjab, which has been identified as a major contributor to carcinogenicity and cardiovascular diseases. To achieve this, the authority has set a deadline before December 2023 to enforce revised limits of trans fatty acids, restricting them to 2 grams per 100 grams in every food item.
The FOPL requirement also extends to packaged foods, including margarine, industrial margarine, margarine spread, shortening, vanaspati, bakery fat, biscuit, bread rusk, and oils/fats used during frying (limited to 5gm/100gm).
Establishing a Special Implementation Committee
To ensure effective implementation of the FOPL and trans fatty acid limits on pre-packaged food items, the PFA has established a special implementation committee. This committee will be responsible for monitoring and reporting on a daily basis to track progress and compliance.
Government’s Strategic Reforms and Awareness Campaign
Prime Minister’s Strategic Reforms is joining hands with the PFA to launch an awareness campaign, commencing on August 14. The campaign aims to educate consumers about calorie intake, food nutrition values, and the importance of healthy eating habits.
The focus will be on encouraging portion control, moderation in food consumption, and the consumption of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and healthier alternatives instead of street food.
Combating Cardiovascular Diseases and Trans Fatty Acids
Cardiovascular diseases and trans fatty acids have been responsible for a staggering 40 percent or 500,000 deaths per year in Pakistan, according to the World Health Organization. To combat this alarming situation, the PFA has set a target to reduce the percentage of trans-fatty acids to 0.5, down from the 10 percent specified in the Punjab Pure Food Regulations 2017.
Palm Oil Hydrogenation, a common process that leads to the formation of trans fats, has been identified as a significant contributor to various health issues, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, infertility, memory loss, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.
