Jiwan Prabha Lama, director general at DFTQC, told Republica that a consistent market monitoring and inspection campaign has improved consumer awareness about bad quality of foods in the market. The campaign has also made the businessmen aware of their responsibilities and legal bindings.[break]
The department has so far tested 76 samples of various food products including sweets for the content of starch and artificial color in last one month.
Out of 40 varieties of sweets collected from various sweets shops across the valley and tested, the department has found high content of starch in six varieties of sweets such as Kaju Barfi, Khuwa Barfi, Dilkhush Barfi and Kesar Peda among others.
“The test of 76 samples of sweets and food items collected by Hananumandokha Metropolitan Range has shown that some of the sweets were highly adulterated with starch and flour, which should not have been there in the sweets,” Lama said.
She added unlike some years ago when the sweets makers had a tendency to add non-edible color in food items, the trend has weakened in recent times. According to Lama, the department has so far conducted over 25 inspections at various places in the country over the period of 15 days.
Lab test damns Pushpa Dairy milk
DFTQC has come up with the lab report of Pushpa Dairy Farm at Balaju which was sealed by a team of market inspectors after finding that milk packets had no label, batch number and date of expiry and also used dirty water and substandard powdered milk.
The lab report prepared by DFTQC showed the milk produced by Pushpa Dairy contained high level of sodium bicarbonate. However, when inquired at the District Administration Office about what kind of actions will be taken against the dairy farm, Laxmi Prasad Dhakal, Chief District Officer (CDO), said DFTQC has communicated to them that the milk contained 24,000 percent of chloroform bacteria.
As per the Food Act, milk should contain zero percent of chloroform bacteria. “We have asked the department to take necessary actions as per the Food Act,” Dhakal said.
On inquiring about the progress of the market inspection activities so far, he said DAO which had in the last fiscal year decided over 56 food cases has decided over 72 such cases with the start of the fiscal 2011/12. “We will not spare the wrongdoers in the future as well,” CDO said.
As per the law, a fine of Rs 2,000 is imposed on those selling low quality food products and Rs 10,000 fine and six months jail for those selling adulterated food products.
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