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| Kathmandu, Tuesday December 31, 2002 Paush 16, 2059. |
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Govt
plans to enact GMP on food industries
By Sameer Ghimire
KATHMANDU, Dec 30 : In
order to ensure quality production of foodstuffs, Food Technology and Quality Control
Department is all set to enact Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulations on the food
industries of the country. After the enactment of GMP regulations, the existing government
practice of examining the standard of the final product will end and the concerned
authorities will have to examine the foodstuff during the manufacturing process itself.
The department has
already proposed the government to amend existing Food Act 1967 by incorporating GMP
regulations in it, and is busy preparing a draft for the proposed amendment.
"We are in the
preliminary state of preparing a draft of GMP regulations to submit to the
government," Dr. Tika Bahadur Karki, Director General of the department, said.
Despite the absence of
GMP in the Act presently, the department has been strictly imposing such regulation to the
dairy industries of the country. The department had imposed GMP to dairy industries after
a number of complaints regarding the quality of milk were filed.
However, the department
has decided to impose GMP regulations in oil and biscuits industries on experimental basis
before making final recommendations to the government. "We want to experiment the
imposition of GMP in some selected industries before making final suggestions to the
government," added Karki.
With the aim to ensure
effective implementation of the GMP regulation, the department is also preparing different
GMP guidelines for different food producing industries, and concerned officials of the
department informed that the guidelines would be finalised soon.
Nonetheless, besides
oil and biscuits industries, the department would also encourage other food industries to
follow GMP guidelines, even before it is made legally obligatory. "We will also be
requesting the entire food industry of the country to maintain GMP guidelines," Karki
added.
At the same time, Karki
also expressed his optimism that the adoption of the GMP regulations would help the
domestic food industries to enhance their competitiveness in the international market.
"Export of our edible products could go up if the food industries sincerely maintain
the prescribed standard while manufacturing their products," he added.
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