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Kathmandu,Monday January 10, 2000 Paush 26th, 2056.
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Ensure quality food
Unhygienic meat and foods containing harmful dyes are being sold
openly in the market. Yet, this has never been a matter that merited the attention, leave
aside concern, of the government even though this problem has been highlighted time and
again by the media. Even though the Central Food Laboratory is doing its best, the present
system suffers from a terrible lack of monitoring and the absence of proper equipment to
identify inedible food items. As a result, many shopkeepers, butchers and vendors --
especially during festivals -- have been found selling unhygienic meat and prohibited food
stuffs in the market.
The
practice of mixing inedible dyes — especially in sweetmeats — which are normally
used only to dye clothes and to colour paper has become so widespread that most of the
sweetmeat items on the shelves are actually hazardous to health. Another worrisome food
item that needs mentioning here is meat. Butchers selling unhygienic meat is also a common
sight. The way animals are slaughtered and transported and the manner in which meat shops
display the product need to be changed to ensure proper hygiene. Meat is an item that must
be managed scientifically, but no efforts have been made in this direction.
There
is no way consumers can tell how safe the food items they buy are, but suffice it to say
that there is not a single market where meat, fish and vegetables are separately
maintained with proper care. The least the government can do in this situation is to at
least warn consumers about the risk or safety of foods available in the market. But this
is sadly not happening. As a result, the largely unaware consumers have had to suffer the
unscrupulous ways of traders who deal in foodstuff. Authorities such as VDCs, DDCs and
municipalities, which are concerned with monitoring foods, and which are supposed to see
to it that adulterated foodgrains, sweetmeat containing prohibited ingredients and
unhygienic meat are not sold, have done nothing to prevent their sale. This clearly shows
a total lack of concern on the part of authorities. What is worse is that even consumers
who are conscious of the health hazards such foods contain have not raised their voice to
pressurize the authorities to take action against such practices. Obviously, as long as
there is no strong consumer movement in the country, these practices will continue.
Food
Act of 2023 covers 84 consumable items only. Food Regulation-2027 which has been enforced
in 36 districts also states that local government bodies have to ensure quality food items
to all consumers. It is however surprising that the government has failed to cover meat,
fish, vegetables and fruits in the Act. Unregulated food items such as these have done
much harm to consumers. Apart from this, the Ministry of Agriculture which has set up
regional food laboratories in the country’s five development regions, has not
provided proper equipment to test food items sold in the market. Failure to implement
regulations effectively has also made things worse. Shopkeepers have used dyes to polish
cereals, pulses and some vegetables even though this is prohibited under the food
regulation. Unless the government ensures quality food — fish, meat, vegetables and
fruits to consumers, public health will continue to remain under threat.
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