IHC bans substandard sacks for food packaging, orders nationwide crackdown

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has banned the use of substandard polypropylene woven sacks for packing food items, warning that the reuse of cement bags for flour and other edibles is causing serious health hazards, including cancer.

In a written judgment, Justice Azam Khan directed the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) to launch a nationwide enforcement drive within 30 days.

The court ordered the PSQCA to identify, seize, and initiate penal proceedings against the manufacture, storage, sale, and transportation of polypropylene woven sacks intended for food packaging that do not carry the mandatory PS Mark certifying compliance with PS: 3128 standards.

The order also applies to kraft paper sacks used for cement packaging that fail to meet PS: 4877 standards. The court specifically directed action against cement sacks being reused in the food supply chain.

The PSQCA was instructed not to limit its action to manufacturers but to extend it to distributors, warehouses, and transporters dealing in non-compliant sacks. The court clarified that the authority’s jurisdiction covers the product itself, regardless of the business license of the end-user.

The federal Ministry of Food and all four provinces have been directed to take coordinated action. Chief Secretaries and Food Authorities were ordered to strictly implement the ruling in their respective regions.

The court further directed that enforcement should not be limited to fines. Criminal cases must be registered and arrests made against violators. Raids are to be conducted on factories and warehouses producing or storing substandard sacks.

The PSQCA and the Ministry of Food have been ordered to submit a comprehensive compliance report within 90 days.

Highlighting the gravity of the issue, the court observed that defective sacks cause annual losses of Rs23 to Rs38 billion, while cumulative losses over the past eight years have exceeded Rs80 billion. It termed the matter a serious threat to food security and public health.

The judgment stated that the state’s failure to act violates fundamental rights, including the right to life, dignity, and economic welfare, and described the situation as a national emergency rather than a mere commercial dispute.