PSQCA orders flour mills to stop using unregistered and substandard sacks

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) has directed flour mills nationwide to immediately stop using substandard and unregistered woven sacks for flour packaging, implementing an Islamabad High Court ruling issued in February.

The regulator said the decision was aimed at improving food safety standards and preventing the use of hazardous packaging materials in the wheat flour supply chain. According to a notification issued by PSQCA Director General Dr Syeda Zia Batool, the use of non-compliant packaging compromises hygiene requirements and creates serious public health risks.

The notification stated that all flour mill owners and operators had been ordered to stop using packaging that did not meet the authority’s prescribed national standards. It also instructed flour mill operators, processors, distributors and related entities to cease procuring, using or distributing any flour packaging material that was substandard, non-compliant or unregistered.

Under the new instructions, mills must use PSQCA-certified flour bags during packaging, storage, transportation and retail sale of flour products. The authority said compliance with the order was mandatory and not open to negotiation.

Court-directed enforcement plan

The move follows directions issued by the Islamabad High Court, which had ordered the Ministry of National Food Security and the PSQCA to hold a meeting with representatives of all provincial food authorities and submit a joint action plan for coordinated and sustained enforcement within 45 days.

Implementation, however, was delayed because of lockdowns in the federal capital during visits by Iranian and US delegations for negotiations, as well as a reduction in the working week to four days.

The PSQCA has also assigned regulatory authorities to carry out strict inspections and surveillance of flour mills, storage facilities and distribution points to ensure the order is enforced. Each flour mill’s management would be responsible for compliance, and violations could lead to legal action, penalties and other enforcement steps under relevant laws.

Industry response

The development is being seen as an important step in Pakistan’s food safety framework, particularly in the flour sector, where concerns have persisted over the use of recycled and hazardous materials in woven sacks used for wheat flour packaging.

Pakistan Polypropylene Woven Sacks Manufacturers Association Chairman Iskander Khan welcomed the implementation of the court order in a statement. He said that while wheat flour fell under provincial jurisdiction, certified packaging standards were a national issue and that Pakistan needed to align with international standards in the food sector to support future exports of value-added edible products.

Mr Khan said the measure could help reform the flour industry by improving food safety, tightening regulatory oversight and protecting consumers from unsafe packaging materials.

"The move could bring long-awaited reforms to Pakistan’s flour industry by improving food safety, strengthening regulatory oversight, and protecting consumers from exposure to unsafe packaging materials,"

He also said better-quality sacks could prevent contamination and reduce wastage caused by porous bags. According to his claim, around Rs112 billion worth of wheat flour is wasted each year because of substandard porous woven bags and faulty packaging.