Importing Food Products into Pakistan: PSQCA Standards, Halal Certification, and the Labelling Rules

By Olympic AgenciesLast updated: 12 July 2026

Quick Answer

Imported packaged and processed foods into Pakistan must comply with compulsory Pakistan Standards enforced by the PSQCA, which cover composition, labelling, food additives, and contaminants. For meat and poultry, halal certification is mandatory. All imported packaged food must carry labelling in English or Urdu showing the product name, ingredients, net weight, production and expiry dates, and importer details. The provincial food authorities add a layer of enforcement at the point of sale.

Key facts
Enforcement body	Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority enforces compulsory standards for imported food products at the port of entry through sampling and testing
Halal requirement	Meat and poultry imports require halal certification from an accredited body in the country of origin — non-halal meat cannot be imported
Labelling requirement	Imported packaged food must display product name, ingredients, net weight, production and expiry dates, and importer details in English or Urdu
Provincial role	Provincial food authorities — the Punjab Food Authority, the Sindh Food Authority, and their counterparts — enforce food-safety standards at the retail and wholesale level after customs clearance
Prohibited imports	Products containing ingredients prohibited under Pakistani food regulations — certain colourants, non-halal gelatine, and products from Israeli origin — are prohibited regardless of other compliance

Pakistan's packaged-food import market has grown alongside the expansion of modern retail — supermarket chains, online grocery, and the food-service sector all import products that the domestic food industry does not supply. But imported food faces a compliance stack that domestically manufactured food does not: PSQCA mandatory standards enforced at the port, halal certification for animal-origin products, labelling requirements that must be satisfied before the container arrives, and provincial food authorities that can challenge the product after clearance. This guide covers what a food importer must prepare before a consignment ships.

What PSQCA standards govern imported food?

The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority maintains a list of compulsory standards — standards that are legally mandatory, not voluntary — for food products imported into Pakistan. The list covers major food categories: edible oils and fats, dairy products, biscuits and confectionery, spices and condiments, beverages, and infant foods.

For each product, the compulsory standard specifies:

Composition. What the product must contain and in what proportions — for example, the milk-fat content of a product labelled as "ice cream."
Quality parameters. Moisture content, acidity, peroxide value for oils, and other chemical and physical parameters.
Permitted food additives. Which preservatives, colourants, sweeteners, and emulsifiers may be used and at what maximum levels.
Contaminant limits. Maximum levels for heavy metals, pesticide residues, mycotoxins, and microbiological contaminants.
Labelling requirements. What must appear on the label and in what format.

PSQCA enforces these standards at the port of entry. The authority may draw samples from an imported consignment and test against the applicable standard. A consignment that fails testing is held — it cannot be released for home consumption — and the importer must either recondition the product to meet the standard, re-export it, or destroy it. The cost falls on the importer, and the time the container sits at the port awaiting test results or resolution adds demurrage.

What halal certification does imported food need?

For meat and poultry imports, halal certification is mandatory. The certification must come from an accredited halal certification body recognised by Pakistan's relevant authority, and it must confirm that the animal was slaughtered according to Islamic requirements. Our halal meat export guide covers the certification chain — the same principles apply in reverse when Pakistan is the importing country.

For processed foods containing animal-derived ingredients, halal certification is similarly required. A product containing gelatine, for example, must carry certification that the gelatine is from a halal source. For plant-based processed foods, halal certification is not legally mandatory, but a product that carries a recognised halal certification logo — from Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia, the Majelis Ulama Indonesia, or a recognised Gulf certification body — has a commercial advantage in the Pakistani market.

What labelling must imported food carry?

The Pakistan Standards for packaged food specify labelling requirements that must be met before the product is offered for sale. The label must include:

Product name
List of ingredients in descending order of weight
Net weight in metric units
Production date and expiry date — the date format must be unambiguous
Country of origin
Manufacturer's name and address
Importer's name and address in Pakistan
Storage instructions, if the product requires specific storage conditions

The information must be in English or Urdu. A product with labelling only in a foreign language — Mandarin, Arabic, Spanish — that does not include English or Urdu translation does not meet the labelling standard and can be held.

For products with allergens, allergen labelling — "contains wheat, milk, eggs, nuts, soy" — is increasingly expected and is becoming a standard requirement as Pakistan's food-labelling regulations align with international practice, though it is not yet comprehensively mandated for every product category.

What role do provincial food authorities play?

The provincial food authorities — the Punjab Food Authority, the Sindh Food Authority, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority, and the Balochistan Food Authority — enforce food-safety standards within their respective provinces. Their jurisdiction is the market, not the port, which means a product that clears customs can still face enforcement action at the wholesale or retail level.

The provincial authorities can inspect imported products at warehouses, distribution centres, and retail outlets. They can test products against provincial food-safety standards, issue improvement notices, seize non-compliant products, and impose penalties. The importer's compliance obligation does not end when the container leaves the port — the product must remain compliant throughout its shelf life in the Pakistani market.

What should a food importer prepare before shipping?

Identify the applicable PSQCA compulsory standard for the product and obtain a copy from PSQCA or through a standards library. Test the product at an accredited laboratory against that standard before shipment.
For meat, poultry, and animal-derived products, obtain halal certification from an accredited body in the country of origin and ensure the certificate travels with the consignment.
Prepare labelling that meets Pakistan's requirements — English or Urdu, all mandatory fields, production and expiry dates in unambiguous format — and confirm with the supplier that the labels will be applied before the product leaves the factory.
Check whether any product ingredient is prohibited in Pakistan — certain colourants, non-halal animal ingredients, and certain preservatives — because a product containing a prohibited ingredient will be rejected regardless of other compliance.

Olympic Agencies has cleared agricultural commodities and packaged food products — edible oils, spices, pulses, tea, and processed foods — at Karachi Port and Port Qasim since 1982. Our customs clearing service in Karachi covers PSQCA compliance coordination, labelling verification, and customs clearance for food imports. WhatsApp us your product specification and we will map the compliance path.

Importing food products? Let us verify your PSQCA, halal, and labelling compliance before the shipment arrives.

WhatsApp us your shipment details →

Frequently Asked Questions

What PSQCA standards apply to imported food?+

PSQCA enforces a catalogue of compulsory Pakistan Standards covering food products from edible oils to biscuits to spices to beverages. The relevant standard specifies composition, quality parameters, permitted food additives, contaminant limits, and labelling requirements. Imported food that does not meet the compulsory standard is held at the port and cannot be released until it is brought into compliance or re-exported. Importers should obtain the applicable standard from PSQCA and test the product against it at origin before shipment.

Does imported food need halal certification?+

For meat and poultry, halal certification from an accredited halal certification body in the country of origin is mandatory — non-halal meat cannot be imported into Pakistan and will be detained and destroyed or re-exported. For processed foods containing meat or animal-derived ingredients — gelatine, rennet, animal fats — halal certification is similarly required. For plant-based processed foods, halal certification is not legally mandatory but is increasingly expected by distributors and consumers, and a product with a recognised halal logo has a commercial advantage.

What labelling must imported packaged food carry?+

The label must include: the product name, the list of ingredients in descending order, the net weight in metric units, the production date and expiry date, the country of origin, the manufacturer's name and address, the importer's name and address, and storage instructions if applicable. The information must be in English or Urdu. For products with allergens — wheat, milk, egg, nuts, soy — allergen labelling is increasingly expected though not yet comprehensively mandated.

What happens if the provincial food authority challenges an imported product after clearance?+

Customs clearance at the port is the federal entry point, but the provincial food authorities enforce food-safety standards at the point of sale. A product that clears customs but is later found by the Punjab Food Authority to be non-compliant with provincial food regulations can be removed from sale, seized, or subject to enforcement action against the importer and the retailer. The importer's compliance obligation is to both levels of regulation — federal at the port, provincial in the market.

Olympic Agencies

Clearing agricultural cargo - seeds, fertilizers, and machinery - at Karachi Port and Port Qasim since 1982. Members of PIFFA and the Chamber of Commerce.