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A report from Pakistan's Ministry of Planning has revealed alarming levels of substandard cooking oil and milk products currently circulating in the national market. Tests conducted by the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) found that out of 491 samples, 176 failed to meet mandatory quality specifications, resulting in a 36% overall non-conformance rate.
The findings were particularly concerning for the oils and fats sector, where vanaspati ghee showed a 48% failure rate, with 98 out of 204 samples deemed substandard. Authorities warned that such products pose significant risks for cardiovascular diseases. Refined palm oil exhibited the steepest failure rate at 75%, with three out of four samples failing tests, while blended cooking oil saw a 27% non-compliance rate.
In the dairy sector, approximately one-quarter of packaged liquid milk samples were found to be substandard, with one sample containing only 0.8% milk fat compared to the required 3.5% minimum. The Ministry noted that while products from major multinational milk producers passed the checks, quality issues were heavily concentrated among smaller, lesser-known local brands.
The National Price Monitoring Committee, led by Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, reviewed these findings and issued directives to provincial regulators for a nationwide crackdown on unpackaged and loose cooking oil, ghee, and milk. In a separate economic update, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics reported that headline inflation cooled to 9.2% in July 2026. The committee also addressed the significant price disparities between wholesale and retail markets across different cities, calling for immediate corrective measures.
Source: Investify