A market inspection team of Department of Commerce (DoC) on Tuesday found date expired food products at the store. Also, the store was found selling products that did not have product information in Nepali or English language. [break]
As per the DFTQC rules, only the products having labels in English or Nepali languages can be sold in Nepal.
“We also found outdated Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite bottles in its shelves,” Tika Bahadur Thapa, accounts officer at DoC, said.
The team destroyed expired carbonated drinks and took samples of pickles being sold at the store for lab tests.
“We have asked the proprietor of the store to furnish clarification at the department within seven days,” said Thapa.
Pahal Gurung, director of Bhat-Bhateni, however, said four outdated bottles of carbonated drinks were mistakenly kept in the shelves. “They were meant to be returned to the manufacturers,” Gurung said, adding, “We are conscious about the health of our consumers. If consumers find fault in our products, they can easily exchange them within seven days.”
Regarding the products that had labels in other languages, Gurung said the government should not allow products having labels in other languages enter through the customs points. “We, however, have realized our mistakes and will correct it immediately,” Gurung said.
The store has also been found selling products produced by unregistered firms. The store has been selling products made by students of Global College of Tourism & Hospitality Education (GATE). These products lack name of the manufacturer and product information.
Khem Lakai, CEO of GATE, said the products were made during practical classes of students. “As these products are made in large scale, we decided to supply it to the Bhat-Bhateni store so that the students could make some earning from it,” added Lakai. He also argued that the products contained manufacturing and expiry dates.
The team has asked the CEO of the college to take food production license and to include necessary information in the label and furnish proof of completion of the works to the department within seven days.
“We have barred the college from selling its products until the proof is submitted to the department,” said Thapa.
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