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QUETTA, Oct 01 (APP): Pakistan Youth Change Advocates (PYCA) organized an awareness workshop in Quetta for bringing together journalists to advance the cause of the transform Pakistan campaign.
This workshop strove to inform journalists of their roles as TRANSFORM Pakistan ambassadors for the regulation of industrially produced transfats (iTFAs) and ban on partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) in all dietary sources across Pakistan.
Media Advocacy Workshop was started on September 30th at the Quetta Press Club.
A total of 19 journalists from major print and electronic media platforms participated in the training.
“We have been doing discussions on the urgent need to regulate industrially produced trans-fatty acids (iTFAs) across all dietary sources and to legislate a ban on the production and distribution of partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) in Pakistan to ensure that the food that we all consume is free of these poisonous substances.
Among these discussions, one on one talks with media personnel remains pivotal considering the power of media to bring change” said Areebah Shahid, Executive Director at PYCA.
The workshop was attended by Deputy Director Technical, Balochistan Food Authority. Mr. Naqeeb Ullah.
Addressing the group of journalists, he said, “A single regulation is necessary in times of health crisis in Pakistan. Without a uniform regulation to limit iTFAs set by the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), it is difficult for provincial authorities to regulate food sources in their respective jurisdictions.”
Addressing the workshop, Ms. Huma Jehangir, Program Implementation Lead at PYCA said that, “One of the major contributors of iTFAs in Pakistan is partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs).
She said that along with a regulation that limits iTFAs to less than 2 percent of the total fats in all foods adding that it is equally important to ban the production and distribution of PHOs.
The regulation of iTFAs and a legislative ban on PHOs form part of the best international practice prescribed by the WHO, she mentioned.
She said that several countries, such as India, Egypt, and Sri Lanka, which share similar socio-economic indicators with Pakistan, have successfully implemented mandatory regulations limiting iTFAs in their food supplies, banning PHOs, or both.
While Pakistan regulated six food categories in 2023 including banaspati ghee, cooking oils, bakery wares, and bakery shortenings—many significant food categories, such as dairy products, ultra-processed foods, and street foods, remain outside the scope of this regulation, putting the health and well-being of millions at risk, she said.