Health Ministry, UNICEF Criticize Dairy Giants on Punjab Nutrition Board
M. Waqar Bhatti
Islamabad: Federal Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination, along with senior child specialists, nutritionists, and UNICEF representatives in Pakistan, have strongly objected to the inclusion of multinational company Nestle and local dairy company FrieslandCampina in the ‘Punjab Nutrition Board’.
They questioned how companies responsible for causing malnutrition among Pakistani children could review, modify, and implement the National Nutrition Policy 2018-25 at the provincial level.
Commenting on the inclusion, an official from NHS, R&C said authorities should avoid making such decisions and involving multinational companies in policy decisions.
“Industries like Nestle, which promote Breast Milk Substitutes, should not be given representation on such boards. The ministry will certainly take up this matter with the Punjab Health Department,” Dr. Mehreen Mujtaba, Director of Nutrition at NHS, R&C told The Newztodays.
Similarly, the Pakistan Pediatric Association strongly objected to the inclusion of two representatives from multinational dairy and food companies in the Punjab Nutrition Board, terming it a ‘completely unbalanced board’.
They claimed this board would also look into the nutrition of children under five, who are being targeted by these dairy and food companies.
“The Director General Health Services Punjab has issued a notification to constitute the Punjab Nutrition Board, and two of its members are from the corporate sector, including one from Nestle and the other from FrieslandCampina of Engro Pakistan.
We strongly believe that both these companies are responsible for growing malnutrition among Pakistani children,” stated Dr. Khalid Shafi, Secretary General of the Pakistan Pediatric Association (PPA).
“Due to our efforts, we passed a law in the Sindh assembly labeling the food products of these companies as harmful for children under three years of age. But in Punjab, no such law exists. Now these companies are on the nutrition board, and they will influence the authorities to market and promote their harmful products among malnourished, stunted, and wasted children,” Dr. Shafi added.
He maintained that Pakistani children need exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and nothing else during this period. However, formula milk companies are using their influence to market Breast Milk Substitutes (BMS), resulting in only 48 percent of mothers exclusively breastfeeding in Pakistan.
“Most people are poor and can’t afford packaged food and dairy products. We need to educate parents to use home-cooked nutritious food to provide the required nutrition to our children,” Dr. Shafi added.
He also criticized the authorities for advising the public to buy expensive products when basic necessities are unaffordable. International UN bodies, including UNICEF, WHO, and the World Food Program, have warned governments against the tactics of food companies responsible for global malnutrition.
The PPA Secretary General highlighted that on May 17, four senior pediatricians were invited by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for a meeting on stunting among children, but none were allowed to speak. “So you can guess the level of seriousness of the topmost government authority regarding the health of children in Pakistan,” he said.
Prof. Jamal Raza, Executive Director of the Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology (SICHN), also expressed disappointment over the inclusion of food and dairy companies’ representatives in the Punjab Nutrition Board, terming it a clear case of conflict of interest.
“On one hand, we strive to increase exclusive breastfeeding and homemade nutritious food. On the other, our authorities are conniving with multinational companies, which is a serious concern,” he added.
An official from UNICEF in Islamabad expressed disappointment over the inclusion of multinational food companies in the Punjab Nutrition Board and claimed that their officials in Lahore would raise the issue with the Punjab government.
“Instead of organizations like UNICEF and WHO, which assist federal and provincial governments, multinational dairy and food companies known for their ugly tactics are being taken on board,” the UNICEF official, who requested anonymity, added.Who is representing Pakistan at World Health Assembly in Geneva?
Representatives of Nestle and FrieslandCampina were unwilling to speak on record, but one company representative claimed they were distributing billions of nutrition packs for free to improve nutrition status, making them relevant for provincial and federal nutrition boards.
When approached, Director General Health Punjan Dr. Ilyas Gondal said he was aware of the concerns of the UNICEF and other quarters and the composition of the Punjab Nutrition Board could be reviewed.
“Both the secondary and primary healthcare ministers and secretary health are its Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary and they have the authority to review its composition. But we aware aware of the concerns and in the process of reviewing it”, Dr. Gondal said.
