The office took the step after the Regional Food Technology and Quality Control Office (RFTQCO) during its market inspection found the companies of supplying 105 different food commodities, flouting the standard quality norms. [break]
“Tests of the samples collected from the market showed that the companies were exposing consumers to health hazards,” said Upendra Raya, chief of the RFTQCO. He told myrepublica.com that the DAO has filed cases against those companies, as a part of taking actions against them.
DAO officials said they have initiated actions against four sunflower oil manufactures, five soybean oil manufacturers, three mustard oil producers, two biscuits manufacturers and a palm oil producer. The office has also launched action against a ghee manufacturer, a wheat flour mill and a chocolate manufacturer, among others.
Fifteen of the companies are based in Morang, while the rest are located in neighboring Sunsari district.
“We recommended action against those companies after they ignored our repeated instructions to correct their weaknesses,” Raya said and added that the office had consistently monitored those industries over the last one year, as their products had failed to meet the set quality standards.
The companies could face ban on productions as per the Food Act if the DAO built its case strongly. However, as the local administration and courts have been preferring to let the wrongdoers by just slapping fines, the trend of producers flouting the law has been on the rise in the recent period.
“Considering this trend, we have requested the DAO to take stringent actions against the wrongdoing companies,” said Raya.
RFTQCO had inspected products of a total of 488 food manufacturing companies in the eastern districts over the last fiscal year. It had found that 51 companies were failing to adhere to the stipulated food standard.
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