Food Safety

Situation
in Nepal
Pramod Koirala
Sr Officer, Department of Food Technology
and Quality Control
Nepal
 Presentation summary
• Nepalese media in food safety
issues
• Food safety-Nepalese issues
• Food control system in Nepal
• Gaps/Areas need to improve
Food safety problems in
Nepal
(raised by media)
 Milk:
Most of the
market milk
is
substandard
Sweets : Most of the sweets sold are
unhygienic
Vegetables: Available in the
market contain pesticides

Rice: Distributed by WFP

is not of good quality
Meat and meat products
contain VDR
Beverages

Imitating
products are in
the market
 Mineral water
Mineral water
contaminated
and contain filth
in it
 Pesticides

Chemical
pesticide use
is in rise
 Poisonous mushrooms
Poisonous
mushroom
claims death
of many
people in
Nepal
Consequences of consumption of unsafe food-
Street food consumption increases
burden of diseases
Consequences
in trade
• KFC is
willing to use
Nepalese
chicken but
of quality
importing
from Brazil
 Consequences :
become a political
agenda in Nepal
Consequences
Due to
consumption
of unsafe
food in the
marriage
festival,
people are
getting sick
 Recent work by the Government

One of the
popular
sweets
called
Gundpank
shop is
under
Government
custody
Dispose of unsafe food- by Government
agencies
Dispose ofGovernment
unsafe food-effort
by Government
agencies
Human resources in Government are
inadequate: only 40 in Nepal
 Annual Report 2011
Department of Food Technology and Quality
Control: A food control agency in Nepal
 Trend of Sub-standard Samples (on the basis of
Collected Samples)
30
Adulterated Sample Percent (%)

25 25
23.7

20 19.3
17.3
15 15.1 15.6

12.2
10

0
61/62 62/63 63/64 64/65 65/66 66/67 67/68

Fiscal Year
Trend of Sub-standard Samples of Milk
Trend of Sub-standard Samples of Ghee
Trend of Sub-standard Samples of Mustard
Oil
Trend of Sub-standard Samples of Soybean Oil
Trend of Sub-standard Samples of Processed
Drinking Water
National Food Control System- DFTQC
principles
Legislation

Laboratories
Food Control Surveillance/m
Inspection Management onitoring

Information
Education
Communication
 Major issues in food safety
Issues in Nepal
• Microbiological hazards
• Chemical hazards
• Surveillance of foodborne disease
• New technologies
• Capacity building
 Microbiological hazards
• significant increase have been reported over the
past few decades.
• Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp,
enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli
• bovine spongiform encephalopathy
 Chemical hazards
Chemicals are significant source of foodborne
illness - associated with immune, endocrine and
developing nervous systems in the human
system.
• natural toxicants such as mycotoxins
• environmental contaminants such as mercury,
lead, radionuclides and dioxins
• naturally occurring chemicals in plants, such as
glycoalkaloids
• pesticide and veterinary drug residues
Surveillance of foodborne disease
• Most of foodborn disease cases are not
reported- implementation of effective solutions
often fail.
• Effective control of foodborne disease must be
based on evaluated information.
 New technologies
• potential public health effects of new
technologies have raised concern.
• New technologies such as genetic engineering,
irradiation of food, ohmic heating and modified
atmosphere packaging.
 Capacity building
• developing countries are poorly equipped to
respond to existing and emerging food safety
problems.
• lack technical and financial resources
– an effective institutional framework
– trained manpower
– sufficient information about the hazards and
risks involved.
 Nepalese Context- food safety
• system based on a multiple agencies executing different
legislations related to food safety.
• the government agency for execution of food legislation
(Food Act 1967) is Department of Food Technology
and Quality Control.
• existing food legislation is not adequate to address the
present day realities of food safety issues, because
– not directed by the risk assessment principles.
– human resource in food control inadequate.
– food contaminants analysis facility is poor.
 Nepalese Context- food safety
• food adulteration rate in Nepal is 15.6% for the
fiscal year 2011 (DFTQC 2011)
• processed drinking water, processed milk and
refined edible oil are the major sub-standard
food products in the market.
Legislations and agencies -food safety
Act/Rules Agencies/Institutes
Food Act 1966 DFTQC, MoAC
Food Regulation 1970 DFTQC, MoAC
Consumer protection Act 1998 DoC, MoCS
Consumer protection Rules 2000 DoC, MoCS
Slaughterhouse and Meat Inspection Act 1998 DLS, MoAC
Slaughterhouse and Meat Inspection Rules 2000 DLS, MoAC
Local self-governance Act 1999 Local Govts, MoLD
Local self-government Rules 2000 Local Govts, MoLD
Nepal Standards (Certification mark) Act 1980 NBSM, MoI
Nepal Standards (Certification mark) Rules 1983 NBSM, MoI
Standard weights and Measures Act 1968 NBSM, MoI

Standard weights and Measure Rules 1978 NBSM, MoI

Animal health and livestock service act 1998 DLS, MoAC

Animal health and Livestock service Rules 2000 DLS, MoAC

Breast feeding substances (Sales & Distribution control) Act 1992 DH/DFTQC, MoHP/MoAC

Breast feeding substances (Sales & Distribution control) Rules 1994 DH/DFTQC, MoHP/MOAC

Iodized Salt (Production, Sale and Distribution) Act 1999 DH/DFTQC, MoHP/MoAC

Feed Act 1976 DFTQC, MoAC

Pesticide Regulation Act 1991 DoA, MoAC

 Gaps - Nepal
• Food safety policy
• Surveillance systems of foodborne diseases
• Risk assessments
• Risk communication and advocacy
• International and national cooperation
• Capacity building
 References
• DFTQC (2010) "Annual Bulletin" Department of Food
Technology and Quality Control, Nepal
• FAO/WHO (2003) "Food Hygiene : Basic Texts" 3rd
edition, Rome Italy
• Government of Nepal, Food Act 1967, Food
Regulation 1971
• Koirala P Tamrakar A S (2010)" Study on pesticide
residue monitoring program and quarantine system of
some selected Asian countries" JFSTN 5:23-26
• WHO (2002) " WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety:
Safer Food for Better Health" WHO, Geneva
Thank you