Pakistan lifts ban on MSG import and production

ISLAMABAD: The government has officially lifted the ban on importing and manufacturing monosodium glutamate (MSG), also known as Ajinomoto salt, after persistent complaints from the Japanese government and Ajinomoto at various bilateral and multilateral forums.

It notified that the prohibition of MSG had been enforced on 28 Feb 2018 with Statutory Regulatory Order no 2660(1)/2018 following an order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on February 10, 2018, against which the Ministry of Commerce was not a party; yet it was instructed by Punjab chief secretary to give it effect.

Since the ban, Japan and Ajinomoto have been raising issues that Pakistan is the sole country that has imposed this restriction without scientific justification. In 2020, Ajinomoto filed a review petition in the Supreme Court, which argued that the prohibition had no merit.

During a visit by a Japanese business delegation in June 2022, the Prime Minister of Pakistan instructed officials to address issues that were hindering trade, including the MSG import ban. A technical-cum-expert committee was then established in March 2023 under the Ministry of Commerce to analyze the safety and health aspects of MSG.

The committee, therefore, consisted of representatives of high-profile institutions, for instance, the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the National Agricultural Research Centre, and the National University of Sciences and Technology. The international regulatory requirements were assessed alongside the scientific information obtained by reviewing the regulations and studies put forth by international bodies like the World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, and the Food Drug Administration in the United States.

Experts summed up that MSG is a safe food additive and globally well-recognized as a seafood ingredient. Further, they recommended that the ban be lifted citing negative impacts on trade and economic relations with Japan.

The Ministry of Commerce placed the case before the federal cabinet, which after deliberation approved the proposal for lifting the ban. The cabinet also authorized the submission of a review petition against the Supreme Court’s first orders with technical support from the expert committee.

This decision is a major step in addressing trade concerns and fostering better economic ties between Pakistan and Japan while being in line with global food safety standards.