The companies were found cheating consumers during the special market monitoring campaign launched by the department targeting the Dashain, Tihar and Chhath festivals.
Eight cases were filed in the Kathmandu Valley alone. [break]
According to Pramod Koirala, spokesperson of the DFTQC, the department filed cases against CG Foods - the producer of Wai-Wai instant noodles, Sitaram Gokul Milks, United Water and Beverage, Shree Ghee Packaging Udhyog, Kathmandu Dairy and Pachali Bhairav Restaurant.
The DFTQC had formed a 300-member committee to monitor the market during the festive season.
“Under the campaign, we targeted mainly the companies dealing with edible items. We found that most of the sweets shops we monitored were in unhygienic conditions,” Jeevan Prabha Lama, director general of DFTQC, said. “They were found using inedible substances in sweets.”
Lama said the monitoring teams found adulteration mostly in milk solid (Khuwa) and syrup used in sweets like Rasbari, Lalmohan and Jalebi.”
During the monitoring, market inspectors had carried out on the spot starch test on milk solid. “The test found starch content such as flour and beaten rice etc in milk solid sample,” she added.
According to a report released by the DFTQC, market inspectors monitored 28 sweets shops in the Valley over the past two months. They seized and destroyed 306.5 kg of milk solid, 143 liters of Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite in pet bottles, 10 kg namkeens without labels, 6 kg syrup, 6 liters of processed milk, 12 kg boiled noodles, one packet of date expired edible color, 8 kg of expired carom seed (jwano), and a packet each of date expired papaya preserve and Calcium Propionate.
Calcium propionate is a preservative used in breads and baked food items to prevent growth of bacteria and molds.
“We have even sealed two sweet shops -- Mohan Bhandar and Pachali Bhairav Restaurant,” said Koirala.
The monitoring team found 48.5 kg of adulterated barfi and 20 kg substandard milk solid, 51 bottles of expired Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite, 11.5 kg of unlabeled ghee, 23 packets of unlabelled fried beaten rice.
Similarly, the eatery was also found selling unlabeled peanuts, flour noodles (bhujiya) and namkeens. In addition to that, the team also found fungus in the sweets kept for sale at the eatery.
Similarly, the team seized 8 kg expired carom seed (jwano), a packet each of expired papaya preserve and Calcium Propionate from Pashupati Foods -- the parent company of Angan Sweets.
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