Karachi: Tetra Pak has called for urgent reforms in Pakistan's food systems to address the country's growing nutrition crisis, emphasizing the need for improvements in food safety, taxation, and infrastructure. According to Tetra Pak, the recent two-day dialogue in Islamabad brought together global development experts, policymakers, and private sector stakeholders to tackle escalating child stunting and malnutrition in the region.

Noor Aftab, Director of Corporate Affairs for Pakistan, Middle East, North and West Africa at Tetra Pak, highlighted the need for comprehensive reforms in food-safety laws and fiscal policies. He stressed the importance of ensuring that nutritious products remain safe and accessible to consumers amidst high inflation and declining purchasing power. Aftab advocated for structural changes in legislation and taxation to facilitate the delivery of safe and scalable nutritional products.

The dairy sector, identified as a key area for economic and nutritional improvement, was discussed as a potential driver of growth. Pakistan's status as one of the world's largest milk producers offers significant opportunities to enhance farmer incomes, food security, and industrial development. Aftab noted the importance of increasing productivity at the farm level to strengthen the dairy industry's competitiveness.

Furthermore, school feeding programs were cited as crucial interventions that could provide wider benefits through strong food systems and partnerships. Tetra Pak's involvement in global school milk initiatives since 1962 was highlighted as an example of successful nutrition interventions.

The dialogue underscored the severity of the malnutrition issue, revealing that four out of every ten children under five in Pakistan are stunted. The panel concluded that addressing malnutrition requires fixing supply chain incentives, enhancing workforce capabilities, and standardizing food safety measures nationwide.