Daily Times

Lack of consumer empowerment on food fortification and readdress mechanism to deal with nutrition crisis has resulted in cumulative burden of micronutrient deficiencies among children. The National Nutrition Survey, 2018 revealed that nearly 40% children under the age of five are stunted, much higher than developing country’s average rate 25%. 17.7% are victims of wasting and 29% are under weight. Prevalence of malnutrition by gender shows that boys are more affected by malnutrition than girls. Children living in rural areas are malnourished as compared to the children living in urban areas.

With regards to vitamin A and D, more than 50% children are facing vitamin A; Boys are slightly more affected 51.7% as compared to girls 51.3%. While 62.37% children are facing vitamin D deficiency, prevalence is slightly higher among girls 63.1% than boys 62.2%: Iron deficiency rate is 28.6% while zinc deficiency rate is 18.6%. Besides of these appalling figures Pakistan is losing two to three percent of its GDP because of nutrition crisis. A country which is struggling for economic prosperity can’t afford this burden. Malnourishment affects cognitive and physical development, ultimately leading to reduced learning abilities among children, low school performance and lower productivity in adulthood. Due to nutrition crisis, Pakistan is facing double damages, the deteriorating health of the children and the burden of that deteriorated health on the economy.

Pakistan is a country where nearly 39 percent of people are living in multidimensional poverty. A significant proportion of the population is unable to provide a glass of milk, an apple daily and a basket of fruits to every member of the family as average house hold size is 6.5.

One of the effective, affordable as well as safe ways to reduce nutrition crisis is addition of vitamins and minerals to foods (Food fortification) like cooking oil and wheat flour. As cooking oil and wheat flour are essential food items consumed by every household.

Saving children from malnutrition is responsibility of both government and the parents. The role of parents as a consumer is vibrant in reducing and preventing nutrition disaster at household and national levels. It is responsibility of the consumer to purchase and demand fortified food items like cooking oil/ghee. The role of retailers is also dynamic in providing and generating demand for fortified food as they are the bridge between manufacturers and consumers and know the art of selling the goods they want to sell.

The role of consumers is vital to ensure compliance of the food fortification standards at grass root level. Their role is also vigorous in engaging different business associations including retailers to ensure availability of the standardized fortified oil/ghee in the local market and testing the available fortified food products to ensure products are in-line with prescribed standards is more crucial as it serves the purpose of corporate accountability and consumer empowerment to recognize and exercise the rights that protect wellbeing of their and their families. In doing so, it is very critical that they have knowledge of relevant laws and forums/authorities where they can log their complaint. There are two forums to log complaint, one is Food Authority and second is Consumer Council or Consumer Court, working in Punjab and KP.

Empowering consumers on redress mechanism coupled with consumers’ literacy campaigns on food fortification can play an imperative role in ensuring compliance of food standards, availability of fortified food in local market

The key mandate of the food authority in Punjab and KP is to regulate and monitor the food business in order to ensure provision of safe food. It is also responsible to formulate standards, procedures, processes and guidelines in relation to any aspect of food including food business, food labelling, food additive, and specify appropriate enforcement systems; specify procedures and guidelines for setting up and accreditation of food laboratories.

Consumer Councils are directed for formulation of policies for the promotion and protection of the rights of the consumers and coordination between government and manufactures are the key responsibilities of the council.

Under Punjab Consumer Protection Act 2005 and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Consumers Protection Act, 1997 consumers can log complaints related to false, deceptive or misleading representation of the product damages caused by products, defective products i-e, defect in design, not mentioning adequate warning or warranty of the product.

Consumer can also log a complaint related to violation of food standards. Furthermore, any consumer can make an application in writing to the Food Safety Officer (an official of food authority) asking him to purchase a sample of any food item and get it analyzed. It is responsibility of the food safety officer to take action in case of standard’s desecration.

This is unfortunate that the citizens of federal capital territory can’t exercise their rights as a consumer because consumer council and consumer court is not notified, one of requirements of Islamabad Consumer Protection Act, 1995. Legislation to establish food authority is not made yet.

Empowering consumers on redress mechanism coupled with consumers’ literacy campaignson food fortification can play an imperative role in ensuring compliance of food standards, availability of fortified food in local market. It would also help to improve cognitive and physical development, advance school performance and save children from health issues, ensure corporate accountability and reduce economic burden of the country.

The writer is Islamabad based development professional and child rights supporter