KARACHI — The Youth Club of the Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH), in collaboration with the University of Karachi (KU), organized an awareness session and campus walk to mark World Heart Day. The event focused on combating the escalating crisis of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)—particularly cardiovascular conditions, hypertension, and diabetes—by demanding the immediate implementation of mandatory Front-of-Pack Warning Labels (FOPWLs) on packaged food products.
The event brought together key figures from regulatory, scientific, and public health domains, including Ms. Gul Sanober (Director Standardization, PSQCA), Mr. Munawar Hussain (Health & Nutrition Expert), Dr. Umer Mukhtar Tarar (Senior Scientific Officer, PCSIR), Dr. Seema Ashrif (Sindh Food Authority), Mr. Mueen Din Qureshi (Nutrition International), and Mr. Sana Ullah Ghumman (General Secretary, PANAH).
Rising NCD Burden Driven by Ultra-Processed Foods
Speakers expressed severe concern over the surging prevalence of diet-related illnesses across Pakistan. They highlighted that excessive consumption of ultra-processed food items high in sugar, salt, and saturated fats is placing immense strain on individual households and the national healthcare infrastructure.
Key highlights from expert addresses during the seminar include:
Clear Consumer Information: Director Standardization at PSQCA, Ms. Gul Sanober, stressed that standard and accessible food packaging labels are essential to help ordinary citizens immediately evaluate nutritional risks before purchase.
Nutrition Profile Model (NPM): Health Expert Mr. Munawar Hussain explained that FOPWLs utilize the NPM threshold to give consumers clear, front-facing warnings, removing the need to decipher complicated nutritional tables.
Immediate Policy Action: General Secretary of PANAH, Mr. Sana Ullah Ghumman, urged the Federal Government and provincial food authorities to enforce approved warning-label systems without further delay, emphasizing the vital advocacy role played by university students.
Urgent Demand for Federal and Provincial Action
PANAH and the assembled public health experts issued a joint appeal calling on federal regulatory bodies and provincial authorities to prioritize and expedite mandatory warning-label regulations.
Following the seminar, an awareness walk was held across the University of Karachi campus.
Students, faculty members, and health advocates joined in to emphasize the importance of healthy eating, physical activity, and strong public health safeguards to protect future generations from preventable diseases.
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