I can see where, in a particular installation, the 'pantry' is but a closet. I was thinking - as we probably all tend to do - of the last job, where the 'pantry' had a counter, sink,refrigerator, dishwasher, and cabinets of it's own.
I suppose it comes down to the specific plan, and it's a judgement call. After all, 'closets' need not have any receptacles. If the 'pantry' area has a counter, it seems reasonable to apply kitchen counter receptacle spacing and GFCI rules to it.
Once again, architects have managed to design past the constraints of the language
