Consumers are being misled by messages touting bottled water as being collected from pristine sources and milk and milk products as being perfectly healthy, said the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC). According to a study conducted by the department, most of the mineral water and milk sold in the Kathmandu valley is contaminated and pose a threat to public health. 

The tests, which lasted eight months, showed 18 samples of milk and milk products collected from 31 production plants to be impure. Likewise, 28 samples of bottled water collected from 52 production plants were found to be unfit to drink. 

DFTQC Director General Jeevan Prabha Lama said that many companies had not been maintaining hygiene and sanitation in their production processes. Moreover, a number of companies producing bottled water were found to be operating without a licence.  

Lama said that the department’s efforts have had some effect. A few dairies have started to show some improvement after it began checking them out in the last few months. “Still, many of them have been cheating consumers by selling unhygienic products.”

During the review period, the DFTQC collected 334 samples from 170 production plants. Among them, 54 (16 percent) were found to be substandard. The department has filed cases against 72 companies for selling inferior products, among them 28 producers of bottled water, 19 producers of dairy products, nine noodles manufacturers, seven ghee producers and four confectioners. 

The DFTQC has sealed City Mineral, Chandeshwori Mineral, Crystal Drinking Water, Shangri-La Spring, Shital Jal, Shree Krishna Beverage, Duwas Food Products, Suva Prabhat Beverage and Aqua Pacific mineral water companies on the charge of selling substandard products and doing business without a licence.

Likewise, the department has taken action against a number of dairies after their products were found to be contaminated with microbial and bacterial contamination that makes the milk unhealthy. “Moreover, the products failed to meet fat and SNF (solids not fat) parameters as per standards set by the DFTQC,” said Pramod Koirala, spokesperson of the DFTQC.

The department found during its investigation that a number of ghee products had been adulterated with substandard ghee. Confectioner-ies were found to be producing sweets using inedible colours. Noodle companies were found to be selling date expired noodles while some of the products had been manufactured using substandard oil. 

Dharmananda Shrestha, past president of the Nepal Bottled Water Industries Association, said that the problem arose due to unhealthy competition and a large number of companies being allowed to operate without a permit. He also blamed lack of coordination among government agencies for the rampant malpractices in the food production and distribution system. 

Meanwhile, consumer rights activists have blamed poor legal provisions for the widespread sales of inferior products. 

Jyoti Baniya, general secretary of the Consumers’ Welfare Protection Forum, said poor legal provisions in the Food Act 1967 had encouraged unscrupulous traders. “Besides, poorly equipped government agencies and lack of will to control anomalies are the other reasons behind the increase in such ill practices.” Things are becoming more difficult for market watchdogs due to the rapidly rising number of food products hitting the market.

Although the DFTQC has been making efforts to regulate the market, it has been hindered by lack of manpower, lengthy procedures for testing the products and filling cases, lack of public awareness and insufficient resources with the central food testing labs. For instance, a new type of blended vegetable oil has been launched in the market, but the department lacks the sophisticated equipment needed to test it.