The College of Tourism and Hotel Management (COTHM) organized an insightful panel discussion titled “Transforming Pakistan’s Food Safety to Meet International Standards,” bringing together leading experts from the food industry, regulatory bodies, and international organizations to discuss the future of food safety in Pakistan.

The session focused on strengthening food safety systems, enhancing industry compliance, and aligning Pakistan’s food practices with global standards to ensure better consumer protection and international credibility for the country’s food sector.

The panel featured prominent speakers including Zoobia Tahir, Corporate Manufacturing Services Head at Nestlé; Saira Iftikhar, Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) UN Global Nutrition Champion; Munir Chopra, Director Planning, Training and Coordination at the Punjab Food Authority; and Mustajab Ahmad, General Manager Quality Assurance, Research and Development at Cakes & Bakes.

Richard Sprenger, Chairman of Highfield UK, joined the discussion online, sharing his international perspective on food safety standards, training, and the importance of professional certification in improving food handling practices across the hospitality and food industries.

Panelists emphasized the need for stronger collaboration between government regulators, food businesses, and educational institutions to elevate Pakistan’s food safety culture and meet internationally recognized benchmarks.

The discussion reflected COTHM’s ongoing commitment to raising professional standards within Pakistan’s hospitality and culinary sectors while promoting knowledge sharing with global industry leaders.