“Nepal’s regulatory bodies are lacking in capacity to ensure food safety standards which require harmonization and updating,” said Lars Grava, Regulatory Enforcement and Inspection Expert of the World Bank Group, at a workshop organized by South Asia Enterprise Development Facility. [break]
Grava said over 70 percent of tourists recorded in one hospital had suffered from food poisoning in Nepal. “Food-borne illness reported by British tourists after returning from South Asia was 100 to 300 times higher than those from France, Germany or the Netherlands,” he said, presenting a working paper on ‘The Regulatory Enforcement and Inspections Project in Nepal and South Asia’.
Poor food safety conditions in Nepal has been estimated to cost at least an additional US$ 11 million for travelers plus loss of 2-7 days out of the days allocated for enjoying in Nepal.
Grava attributed the problems in food, aviation, construction and environmental protection due to lack of private investment, training for stakeholders, consumer awareness, adequate regulatory standards as well as weak enforcement of regulatory inspections.
In the working paper, he outlined that concerns about aviation and food safety have been directly and indirectly affecting tourism.
Kate Fletcher, Deputy Director of Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO), said better regulations were instrumental in promoting fair completion, make it easier to start up and run businesses, create new jobs and improve the health of the community.
Sushil Ghimire, secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, highlighted ongoing activities carried out by the government for enhancing food and aviation safety in the country.
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