Price Control Commodities Management Dept renames as Food Safety and Consumer

By Farzana Chaudhry Lahore Pakistan

LAHORE: The Punjab government has issued a notification renaming the Price Control Commodities Management Department as the Food Safety and Consumer Protection Department, according to Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, Salma Butt.
Speaking to the media, Salma Butt said the change aligns with Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz’s vision of ensuring the supply of safe, adulteration-free, and affordable food. She said that all food-related departments and authorities working under different mandates were brought under one umbrella last year, and the new name highlights the consumer-focused approach of the department.
She said the Food Safety and Consumer Protection Department now includes the DG Food, Cane Commissioner, Consumer Protection Council, Sahulat Bazaar Authority, Directorate of Enforcement, Punjab Agriculture Marketing Authority, Punjab Halal Development Agency, and Punjab Institute of Agriculture Marketing.
Salma Butt said the Consumer Protection Act 2025 has been introduced in Punjab, under which the maximum fine has been increased from Rs1,000 to Rs100,000. She said complaints can be filed through helplines, mobile apps, online portals, or directly with deputy commissioners. The jurisdiction of Consumer Protection Councils has been expanded to 41 districts, while consumer protection courts have been abolished and cases transferred to deputy commissioners, who are required to decide cases within 90 days.
She said that during 2025, a total of 6,669 complaints were filed with Consumer Protection Councils, of which 4,907 were resolved. She added that 1,827 price control magistrates are performing duties across Punjab to ensure the quality and availability of essential commodities at notified prices, and their performance is being monitored daily through a geo-tagging system.
Salma Butt said the Punjab government has approved 11 projects worth Rs12.48 billion, to be completed over two years, to further improve the department’s performance. These include the establishment of the Sahulat Bazaar Authority. She said 12 Sahulat Bazaars in Lahore are fully functional, while funds of Rs10 billion have been allocated to establish 105 Sahulat Bazaars across Punjab, of which 48 are already operational.
She said the Punjab Food Authority’s performance against food adulteration is commendable, and approval has been granted for the construction of a new headquarters building. She added that the Planning and Development Board has approved the establishment of a Punjab Food Authority training school and modern food testing laboratories in Rawalpindi.
Salma Butt said four mobile laboratories are being set up to check sugar content in sugarcane during the crushing season, and a digital monitoring system is being introduced to record sugarcane weight, deductions, prices, and payments to farmers. She said 188 fruit and vegetable markets across Punjab have been upgraded by the Punjab Agriculture Marketing Regulatory Authority, enabling data-based planning from wholesale to retail levels. As a pilot project, body cameras are being used in Lahore markets to ensure transparency in auctions.
She said financial and administrative reforms in the Punjab Agriculture Marketing Regulatory Authority have increased revenue by 130 percent through outsourcing of market fee, parking, and rate list collections, while Rs4 billion has been generated through faster allotment and auction of plots in agricultural markets.
Salma Butt said the Price Control Council has approved the delegation of powers related to 49 essential commodities to various departments. Under the approved framework, powers over medical and health-related items have been delegated to the Health Secretary, agricultural inputs to the Agriculture Secretary, edible oil, ghee, mineral water, LPG, LNG, and bricks to the DG Industries, livestock and poultry products to relevant livestock departments, construction materials to the DG Mines and Minerals, wheat and flour-related items to the DG Food and Cane Commissioner, fruits and vegetables to the Punjab Agriculture Marketing Regulatory Authority, and fertilizers and cotton-related matters to agriculture extension authorities.
She said the objective of the Punjab Price Control Council is to ensure uninterrupted supply and advance planning for essential commodities.