Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has told the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), the federal medicines watchdog, to pick up infant formula packs and other products sold in place of breast milk, then verify what they contain and whether they are safe to feed babies. The step on baby formula testing in Pakistan was announced in a Senate standing committee on national health services, regulations and coordination, where members questioned how formula is promoted and how the Breastfeeding and Child Nutrition Act 2002 is applied.
What DRAP was asked to do
Kamal instructed the regulator to take infant formula samples from the market and run checks on composition and fitness for use. Dr Obaidullah, who leads DRAP, told lawmakers the agency already covers these products under its framework for alternative medicines and food items. No laboratory outcomes, contamination figures or pass-fail list were shared in the session; the decision starts sampling and analysis rather than publishing a finished baby formula testing report.
The minister also recognised that some mothers cannot breastfeed and said an official campaign promoting breastfeeding is being prepared. He pressed the agencies concerned to apply the statute already on the books.
Senators’ concerns on marketing
Anusha Rahman and Shahzaib Durrani argued for firmer use of the 2002 law, which limits how breast-milk substitutes may be advertised. They said companies must not present formula as ordinary milk. The discussion linked product safety work with how brands appear in public messaging, not with any completed lab dossier.
TV disclaimers and a court stay
Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti, who chairs the committee, said a line reading “Mother’s Milk is the Best for a Child” had been carried in ads across 29 television stations. One firm then secured a stay from the Islamabad High Court blocking the related notice. Amberin Jan, who chairs the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), the broadcast regulator, confirmed that challenge and said PEMRA had contacted the Pakistan Broadcasters Association so other channels still carry the disclaimer.
Together, the hearing framed baby formula testing in Pakistan as a fresh regulatory task for DRAP while advertising enforcement remains contested in court and on air.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Wazir-e-Sehat Mustafa Kamal ne DRAP ko kaha hai ke baby formula aur us jaisi cheezen market se le kar check karein. Abhi koi lab result nahi aaya; sirf sampling aur testing ka hukum hua hai. Senators ne formula ke ads aur 2002 ke breastfeeding qanoon ki sakhti ka bhi zikr kiya. Walidain ke liye matlab yeh hai ke safety checks shuru hone wale hain, lekin nateejay abhi public nahi hue.
