Baby food dating and shelf life dynamics in Pakistan

After the 18th amendment in the Constitution of 1973, food authorities emerged in the provinces to regulate the food business in the country with their primary focus on, among other things, provision of safe and hygienic food to the public.

These authorities are mandated to monitor food business operators (FBOs) anywhere in the country to ensure that the production, manufacture, import, export, distribution, sale or food handling etc. is performed as per the standards prescribed in laws, rules, regulations etc. enacted from time to time.

Be it foods for the adult or infant formulae or follow-on formulae, it is expected of all the FBOs in the country to meet and maintain food standards without fail. Regulatory frameworks are also in place to take action against the violators of such standards.

When it comes to baby foods, some of the growing apprehensions, alarms and matters of unease for the authorities as well as the well-informed citizens, especially, mothers, are, inter alia, baby food product dating and shelf life practices in the food business, especially retailers and/or wholesalers, be it small-scale FBOs or the business giants in the industry.

It is an established fact that baby food products are consumed by a highly vulnerable population. Unlike adults, infants are more susceptible to foodborne illnesses as their immune system is in the developmental phase. Any compromise in food safety, even subtle, can have crucial, far-reaching and testing health impacts.

Sad to say, there is a business tendency and practice of promoting and discounting products (at times, without resorting to such promotions or discounts) that are nearing the expiration dates to encourage sales and reduce wastage with higher profit margins, especially baby food products.

Ironically, baby food sellers—the ones that sell baby foods near expiration or which have crossed half of the shelf life — often defend themselves by asserting that they do not violate any laws, regulations or SOPs since they do not sell expired products; hence, they are, as they claim, well in line with legal formalities and professional expectations.

Needless to say, as the product approaches its expiration date, there are higher chances of it going through irreversible chemical changes making it unfit for human consumption, and making it way riskier for babies, especially infants. Besides, owing to various instances of poor supply and storage management, there is a grave risk of spoilage, contamination, or degradation of nutrients.

If a baby product pack reads that it contains servings over seven days, this could be assumed that the product would possibly be consumed past its expiration date if the same is purchased close to or on the last date for sale. Some may, if they are well-versed with MRD mechanism, discard the product immediately after the expiration date, while others may unknowingly consume the product until it is used through and through even after the expiry date has passed. As it were, very few consumers are aware of MRD mechanism or chances of those well-versed in the same are fairly low.

Moreover, if the product is to be consumed for a month, selling the same on an expiry date of three to five days means that the buyer must discard the same after five days. That suggests that the buyer has paid for a product to be consumed for a month but has practically used the same only for five days. It is not only wastage of the product but also leads the buyers to buckle under duress in financial terms.

Besides, those buyers, who do not choose to discard such products—just on the grounds that they might presume it safe since the same was purchased before the expiry—might use them till those are fully consumed. Both the scenarios paint high risk of consuming expired food items, which are unfit for human consumption.

It stands to reason that such products incur inherent health risks, in this case, to infants, potentially the most susceptible class. So, the FBOs cannot shirk such a weighty, collective responsibility merely on the grounds that they have not sold the product past its expiry. And when it comes to baby foods, it is not only a serious business, but fairly sensitive one too. Products that are sensitive to temperature or environmental conditions—like infant formula or certain baby foods—might degrade quicker near their expiration. Thus, FBOs are expected to shoulder special responsibility in managing and selling baby food products.

The best possible way to tackle this sensitive issue would be for the FBOs to calculate as to how many servings a baby food product pack is supposed to offer the consumer, and accordingly, its shelf life ought not to be less than the period/time that product pack could be consumed up to the hilt given the number of its servings.

For instance, if the product pack offers total fifteen servings, three to be consumed daily, the last date of the product being on display shelf should be at least 5 days before its expiry. If the FBO sells such a product with an expiry date of two days, it poses health risks to the babies, and as such would invite regulatory action against itself or the business.

As per the FDA (Food and Drug Administration, USA) standards, all baby formula and baby food with an expiration date should not be consumed beyond that date, and the same be discarded upon the expiration or use-by date. However, a best by date product may be consumed beyond the printed date depending on the recommendations of the manufacturer and some other considerations.

It goes without saying that the FBOs must observe such anomalies in their food product management in general, and accordingly, comply with the standards with higher prudence, both local and/or global, especially with reference to baby food products. Those baby products that are near their expiry and do not fall within the parameters discussed above must be removed from shelves without any delay.

Besides, baby food products ought to be placed at designated areas in stores, especially the infant formulae or follow-on formulae, with halal certification and optimal storage conditions stated in clear terms, at least in English and Urdu, to avoid causing confusion for consumers.

FBOs need to assume their responsibilities in safeguarding the health of their consumers based on the foods they claim they sell as per the standards. The citizenry ought to make informed decisions with respect to food products, especially baby foods. All the food authorities should take lead and educate people about the risks linked to baby food products sold in the markets, and they must take preventive measures to ensure that healthy food is being sold by the FBOs. Without a comprehensive regulatory mechanism such a neglected area in the food industry cannot be addressed in a reasonable manner.

The writer is the director general, Sindh Food Authority, a published poet, short story writer, and magazine editor