Submitted by: Fatin Attique And Laraib shohaib
Exports of Pakistan:
 Agriculture sector plays an important role in the economy of
Pakistan, as it accounts for a significant percentage of the
country's GDP and employs an even larger percentage of the
country's workforce.
 Pakistan is the best exporter of best quality Basmati Rice, Long
Grain Rice, Parboiled Rice, Wheat Flour, Dried Fruits such as
Dried Dates, Dried Figs, Dried Apricot, Wall Nuts, Pine Nuts,
Raisin, Pistachio and in fresh fruits we export best quality
Mangoes like Chonsa, Sindhri, Kinnow (Oranges), Strawberry,
Vegetables like Onion, Potato, Tomato etc.
 We also export spices like red chilli (Whole / Crushed /
Powder), Cumin Seeds, Coriander Seeds, Turmeric, Ready
Curry Spices, Vermicelli etc.
Inspection criteria:
Name of Legislation
Administering
Department
1.
The Pakistan Animal Quarantine (Import and
Export of Animal and Animal Products) Ordinance,
1978
AQD
2.
3.
The Pakistan Plant Quarantine Act, 1976
DPP
The Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking )
Act, 1937
DALPMG
4.
The Seed Act, 1976
FSC & RD
5. The Pakistan Fish Inspection and
Quality Control Act, 1997
MFD
6. The Exclusive Fisheries Zone
(Regulation and Fishing) Act, 1975
MFD
7. No law.
NVL
8. No law.
GQTL
Future for growth:
 There has been growing recognition that sanitary and
Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement can impede trade in
agricultural and food products. Pakistan, in particular
experiences problems in meeting the SPS
requirements of developed countries and, it is
claimed, this can seriously impede its ability to export
agricultural and food products.
Sanitary and phytosanitary
agreement for trade:
 The
SPS agreement concerns the
application of sanitary and Phytosanitary
measures - in other words food safety and
animal and plant health regulations. The
agreement recognizes that governments
have the right to take sanitary and
Phytosanitary measures but that they
should be applied only to the extent
necessary to protect human, animal or
plant life or health and should not
arbitrarily or unjustifiably discriminate
between members where identical or
similar conditions prevail.
Initiatives for improvement:
 MINFA has initiated a project namely; Special Programme
for Strengthening SPS facilities and Quality Inspection
Services in compliance with WTO.
 Strengthen SPS Management Capacity through NAPHIS
to Regulate Food Safety and agricultural related issues
associated with imports.
 Ensure coordination between various departments and
remove resource and scientific & infrastructural
constraints.
 Monitor and evaluate workings of affiliated line
departments.
Pre-shipment
requirements:
 The following countries currently require or request pre-
shipment inspections:
 Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi,
Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic,
Comoros, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Democratic
Republic of Congo (Kinshasa), Cote d’Ivoire, Ecuador,
Ethiopia, Guinea, India (see note below), Indonesia (see
note below), Iran, Kenya (under review), Kuwait (see note
below), Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania,
Mexico (see note below), Mozambique, Niger, Senegal,
Sierra Leone, Togo, Uzbekistan.
Inspection of imported food
What is inspection?
An inspection is, most generally, an
organized examination or formal evaluation exercise.
An inspection determines if the material or item is in
proper quantity and condition.
Inspection is generally divided into three categories
1. Receiving inspection
2. In-process inspection
3. Final inspection
In quality control, the role of inspection is to verify and
validate the variance data.
What is food inspection?
it is basically the examination of foods to assure wholesome and clean
products free from unsafe microbes or chemical contamination, natural or
added deleterious substances, and decomposition during production,
processing , packaging etc
Imported food inspection
It is the inspection of those food products which are to
bring in from a foreign country for use, sale, processing, re
export, or services
Safety of imported food
Principle of imported food inspection
Establishes a plan which aims to ensure sanitation at three stages,
namely,
1. in the exporting country,
2. at the time of importation,
3. and in domestic distribution
Promotion of sanitation measures in exporting countries
1. Requesting exporting governments establish sanitation control
measures
2. Promotion of stronger control and monitoring systems for
agricultural chemicals, etc., and pre-export inspections, through
bilateral talks and on-site inspections
Foreign food facility inspection program:
 FDA is increasing the number of routine inspections worldwide of
foreign food facilities under the jurisdiction of the FDA that export
to the United States (processors/manufacturers, packers/repackers,
and holders of foods).
 This increase is mandated based on new requirements included in
the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), as enacted by the
U.S. Congress and signed into law by the President on January 4,
2011.
 FDA is also taking similar efforts with regard to domestic facilities
to ensure that the U.S. food supply is safe.
Foreign food facility design
Foreign food facility inspections are designed to:
 Identify potential food safety problems before products arrive in the
United States
 Determine the compliance status of facilities to FDA’s requirements
and food safety standards
 Help the agency make admissibility decisions when food products
are offered for importation into the United States
 Help ensure that food products under FDA’s jurisdiction meet U.S.
requirements under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
Imported Food Inspection Scheme
of Australia
 The Department of Agriculture helps protect Australia's food
producers by managing the risk of exotic pests and diseases entering
the country.
 It also inspects imported food to check it meets Australian
requirements for public health and safety and compliance with
Australian food standards.
 The legal basis for the food safety inspection of imported food is
the Imported Food Control Act 1992 and the applicable standards
under the Act are those set down in the Code. Under the Act,
importers are responsible for ensuring that all food imported into
Australia complies with relevant standards in the Code.
 This legislation allows the department to run a food
safety inspection program known as the Imported Food
Inspection Scheme (IFIS). Food is referred for
inspection under the IFIS by the Australian Customs and
Border Protection Service (Customs) based on
internationally agreed tariff codes.
 In addition the department's imported food testing, the
state and territory jurisdictions also have responsibility
for ensuring that all food, including imported food,
meets the requirements of the Code at the point of sale.
Food failing to meet the requirements of the Code must
be re-exported, destroyed, treated where possible or
downgraded.
Risk food
 Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)
provides advice to the department on the foods that pose
a medium to high risk to public health.
 Risk food is referred to the department by Customs at a
rate of 100 per cent of consignments. Risk food is
initially inspected and tested at a rate of 100 per
cent against a published list of potential hazards—
including micro-organisms and contaminants. Once five
consecutive consignments have passed inspection, the
inspection rate is reduced to 25 per cent; after a further
20 consecutive passes, the inspection rate is reduced to 5
per cent
 Risk foods is subject to 'test and hold' direction and is not released
for sale until test results are known.
 Consignments of risk food which fail inspection and therefore do
not meet Australian standards cannot be imported.
 These foods must be brought into compliance otherwise the food
will be re-exported or destroyed.
Surveillance food
 All other foods are considered to pose a low risk to human health
and safety and are classified as 'surveillance food'.
 Each consignment of surveillance food has a five per cent chance of
being referred for inspection to assess its compliance with
Australian food standards.
 Samples of surveillance food may be analyzed for pesticides and
antibiotics above accepted levels, microbiological contaminants,
natural toxicants, metal contaminants and food additives
 As surveillance food is considered to be low risk, they are subject to
a 'test and release' direction and can be distributed for sale before
test results have been received
 The process for increasing inspection of surveillance food is
referred to as applying a 'holding order'. A holding order remains in
place until favorable test results are received.
What happens during inspection?
When a consignment of imported food has been referred for
inspection, the inspection will involve
1. a visual/label assessment and
2. may also include sampling the food for the application of
analytical tests
There are many standards in the Code, and it is not practicable to
inspect against all standards, particularly for low risk food. The
department inspects imported food against a selection of standards
but not all standards.
FREQUENCY OF INSPECTION AND TESTING OF
IMPORTED FOOD
Frequency of inspection, sampling and testing of imported foods
should be based on the risk to human health and safety presented by
1. the product,
2. its origin
3. the history of conformance to requirements
4. and other relevant information
Control should be designed to account for factors such as:
 the risk to human health posed by the product or its packaging;
 the likelihood of non-compliance with requirements;
 the target consumer group;
 the extent and nature of any further processing of the product;
 food inspection and certification system in the exporting country and
existence of any equivalence, mutual recognition agreements or other trade
agreements; and,
 history of conformity of producers, processors, manufacturers, exporters,
importers and distributors.
Sampling and analysis
 The inspection system should be based on Codex sampling plans. In
the absence of Codex sampling plans, reference should be made to
internationally accepted or scientifically based sampling plans.
 Internationally validated standard methods of analysis or methods
validated through international protocols should be used where
available.
 Analysis should be conducted in official or officially accredited
laboratories.
Decisions
 Decision criteria should be developed that determine whether
consignments are given:
1. acceptance;
2. entry if cleared upon inspection or verification of conformance;
3. release of non-conforming product after re-conditioning and/or
corrective measures have been taken;
4. rejection notice, with redirecting product for uses other than
human consumption;
5. rejection notice, with re-exportation option or return to country
of export option at exporter expense;
6. rejection notice with destruction order.
 Results of inspection and, if required, laboratory analysis, should
be carefully interpreted in making decisions relating to
acceptance or rejection of a consignment.
 When food is rejected because it fails to meet national standards
of the importing country but conforms to international
standards, the option of withdrawing the rejected consignment
should be considered
Karachi: the ministery of commerce, through an amendment in the import
policy order2013, has notified78 items which must meet Pakistan standards
at the import stage
 the list of the products dated january 8, 2015, mostly comprises the
food products including beverages, edible oil and confectionary etc
which are imported on large scale without any proper inspection.
 78 food items need to meet Pakistan standards at the import stage.
 A custom clearing agent said they need certification from PSQCA
for clearance from customs.
 Recently, the Ministry Of Food Security And Research took notice
of import of food products containing “haram” ingredient in the
country and issued a list of such products advising complete ban on
their import.