Mandatory to write manufacturing, expiry dates on cement bags

Islamabad: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has asked the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority to make it mandatory for cement manufacturers to better display the “manufacturing, packaging and expiry” dates on their cement bags. is recommended.

It has also been proposed to amend the Pakistan Standard Specification for all five types of cement.

According to the CCP policy note, cement is hygroscopic in nature and begins to lose strength significantly after 4 to 6 weeks of storage in bags under normal conditions and much sooner under adverse weather conditions or high humidity.

CCP has noted with great concern that cement manufacturers voluntarily do not print manufacturing/packaging and expiry/betterment dates on their cement bags, non-disclosure of such information may mislead consumers and lead to expiry. Procuring cement can put them at risk, affecting the strength and quality of construction projects.