DRAP Orders "Mother's Milk Is the Best" Line on Formula Milk Packs for Children Up to 36 Months

DRAP has told every maker and importer of formula milk for children aged 1 to 36 months in Pakistan to print "Mother's milk is the best for a child" on the label, pack, container and any leaflet, in both Urdu and English. The directive is dated 2 November 2026 and DRAP posted it on 5 November. It gives no start date.

The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) issued this at the direction of a Senate committee. We read the signed directive, No. F.11-4/2025-LA, on DRAP's website on 7 November 2026. It is one paragraph long. The part that matters most to families is the age range, because it goes well past the first year of a child's life.

DRAP's directive covers formula for children aged 1 to 36 months

The directive applies to all manufacturers and importers of formula milk products meant for infants and young children aged one to 36 months. They must show the line clearly, in Urdu and English, on the label, packaging, container and any accompanying literature.

Copies went to the Baby Food and Nutrition Council in Lahore and to DRAP's Health and OTC Products division. OTC means over the counter, or sold without a prescription.

The directive gives no start date, deadline or penalty

The one page sets no date for compliance and names no penalty. It does not say what happens to tins already in shops. So an older pack without the line is not, on this text, a sign that anything is wrong with the milk.

That leaves three open questions:

• When new stock must carry the wording.
• Whether importers can use a sticker on a foreign tin or must reprint the pack.
• Which DRAP division will check compliance, and how.

We looked for answers on DRAP's website and did not find any. If DRAP publishes them, we will add them here.

The new wording goes further than Pakistan's 2002 law

Pakistan's law already requires a similar warning on baby formula. The new directive adds a wider age range, two languages and more places to print it. The older rule comes from the Protection of Breast-feeding and Child Nutrition Ordinance, 2002.

Section 8 of that Ordinance says formula tins must carry, in bold, "Mother's milk is best food for your baby and helps in preventing diarrhoea and other illnesses". The Ordinance's formula marketing rules cover milk sold for babies up to 12 months and products marketed as a complement to breast milk. Older children's "growing-up" milks are the obvious gap. On its stated age range, the directive would reach them.

The comparison is ours. DRAP's directive does not mention the Ordinance, and it does not say how the two wordings fit together. A maker could need both lines on one tin. DRAP has not said.

Parents do not need to change anything because of this label

The directive is a printing order for companies. It is not a warning about any brand, and it does not ban or recall any formula. If your doctor has told you to use formula, this order does not change that advice. Ask the same doctor if you have questions.

The health advice behind the line is not new. The World Health Organization and UNICEF recommend only breast milk for the first six months, then other foods alongside breast milk until at least two years. Plenty of mothers cannot follow that for good reasons, and a line on a tin does not change those reasons.

The practical checks for buying formula stay the same:

1. Read the batch number and expiry date on the tin before you pay.
2. Buy sealed tins only. Section 11 of the Ordinance says formula must be sold in its original container.
3. Keep the receipt, and buy from a shop you can find again.
4. If a doctor has prescribed a special milk for a medical condition, follow that advice. Specialised baby milk is also among the products DRAP named as therapeutic goods in October.

Report a suspect product through DRAP's fake medicine channels.

The order follows a Senate committee meeting on 20 October

DRAP says it acted on directions given by the Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination at its 20 October 2026 meeting. It took 13 days to issue the directive. It was on the website three days after that.

The directive does not repeat what the committee said. We have not read the committee's own record of the meeting, so we cannot tell you what else it asked for. This is also a directive on a single page, not an amendment to the law or a new rule in the Gazette. That difference matters if a company ever disputes it, and it is why we call it a directive throughout.

Common questions

What must formula milk labels now say in Pakistan?

"Mother's milk is the best for a child", in English and Urdu. DRAP's directive of 2 November 2026 orders it for formula meant for children aged 1 to 36 months.

When does DRAP's formula milk label order start?

The directive gives no start date or deadline. It simply tells makers and importers to display the wording.

Is a formula tin without this line fake or unsafe?

Not because of this directive. It says nothing about stock already on shelves, and it is not a safety alert. Check the batch, expiry date and seal as usual.

Is DRAP banning formula milk?

No. The order is about wording on packs. It does not ban, recall or restrict any product.

Does it apply to imported formula?

Yes. The directive names manufacturers and importers alike. It does not say whether a sticker is enough on an imported tin.

Does this replace the warning in the 2002 Ordinance?

The directive does not say so, and it does not mention the Ordinance. Section 8 of the Ordinance has its own wording.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 7 November 2026. We read the signed scan of DRAP's directive. The Ordinance details come from our earlier reading of its text on the Pakistan Code. This is general information, not medical advice.