ISLAMABAD
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), in partnership with the National Alliance for Safe Food (NAFS) and Islamabad Food Authority, successfully led Pakistan’s national commemoration of World Food Safety Day 2025 under the theme “Food Safety: Science in Action.” The event brought together key stakeholders from government, regulatory authorities, the food industry, academia, and civil society to highlight the importance of food safety in ensuring public health and sustainable development.
Mr. Shafqat Hussain, Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of National Food Security & Research and focal person for food systems transformation, acknowledged the role GAIN in raising public awareness on such an important topic. Your support to the Ministry on the review of the Pakistan National Food Security Policy 2018 is also quite valuable, he said adding the National Steering Committee and Technical Working Groups will be notified to provide guidance to this process in collaboration with provinces and stakeholders. Farrah Naz, GAIN Pakistan Country Director, opened the day’s events by welcoming participants and insisting collective action was needed for greater institutional investment in food safety.
Faiz Rasool, head of Policy & Advocacy at GAIN, informed the audience about the global and national statistics on the burden of foodborne diseases. He stated that about 600 million people fall ill each year and around 420,000 die. In Pakistan, more than 33 million cases of diarrhoea are reported per year; 40% are attributed to unsafe food, costing the country more than USD 1.7 billion (in terms of impact on productivity) per annum. He informed that since 2013, GAIN has been offering technical assistance to provincial and federal food safety authorities in capacity building of inspectors and lab staff, support for lab accreditation, FBO training, and consumer awareness campaigns.
Both GAIN and NAFS are organizing a series of capacity-building training workshops targeting both food regulators and food business operators. Designed to strengthen compliance with international food safety standards and improve inspection and enforcement capacity, the trainings will equip participants with practical knowledge and tools to improve food quality, consumer protection, and market access. Over 14 sessions will be held, with dedicated modules tailored to the needs of regulatory authorities and food entrepreneurs.
The 2025 campaign will mark success in generating broad-based engagement, raising public awareness, and fostering collaboration between regulatory bodies, academia, industry, and development organizations. The outcomes of the campaign will also be increased media and social media coverage, formal policy recommendations submitted to relevant authorities, and new partnerships formed to promote long-term improvements in food safety. GAIN remains committed to supporting Pakistan’s efforts to build a safer, healthier, and more resilient food system and thanks all partners, speakers, and participants for their contributions to this important national effort.
