The Department of Food Technology and Quality Control is organising a food exhibition at Bhrikuti Mandap for two days from Friday to encourage people to eat nutritious local dishes.

“Nepal produces various kinds of nutritious foods, but lack of information about their nutritional value has hindered their growth,” the department said.

The exhibition is being organised in coordination with the Agriculture Entrepreneur Association and the Nepal Food Scientists and Technologists Association. The objective of the fair is to provide information about nutrition and market domestically produced foods. 

There will be 78 stalls at the exhibition. Among them, 18 stalls will showcase traditional dishes of various ethnic groups, 24 will disseminate information about nutritional values and 24 stalls will sell the products of various domestic factories, the organizer said.

In a bid to attract the maximum number of visitors, no entrance fee will be charged. The fair also aims to spread information about health issues related to change in food habits, research on a diverse range of food items and the foods produced across the country.

“The consumption of domestically produced nutritious foods has fallen and the dependency on imports is increasing,” said Sanjeev Karna, director general of the department. “The exhibition has been organised to promote the consumption of domestically grown foods keeping these issues in mind.”

According to Karna, changes in food habits in urban areas have also led to a drop in production hindering the growth prospects of traditional foods.

The organizers also expect the exhibition to help potential students of food technology find out about available courses as colleges and hotels imparting education in food technology and hotel management will also be setting up booths there.

Moreover, companies dealing in chemicals and equipment will also maintain stalls targeting entrepreneurs in the food processing sector.

“There is a growing need to educate people on the consumption and benefits of traditionally produced foods,” said Purna Chandra Wasti, spokesperson for the department. “The exhibition will serve as a platform for trade, information dissemination and promotion of such products.”