For the first time, Nepal’s food quality watchdog has proposed comprehensive standards for ice cream and frozen desserts, responding to rising consumption, particularly among children.

The Food Hygiene Recommendation Committee, formed under the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2024, has endorsed the draft standards. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development forwarded the proposal to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for notification three weeks ago.

“It will take around two months for the WTO notification process,” said Mohan Krishna Maharjan, senior food research officer at the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control. “We developed the standards in response to growing consumption to ensure the safety and quality of ice cream and frozen desserts.”

The standards will apply equally to domestically produced and imported products. As part of the process, Nepal has shared sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures with the WTO to demonstrate that the products meet international food safety requirements.

SPS measures are designed to protect consumers and producers from health risks and are governed by the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.

Producers that fail to comply will face penalties under existing laws. Manufacturing substandard food can result in up to six months’ imprisonment, a fine of up to Rs300,000, or both. Adulteration carries harsher punishment—up to five years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to Rs500,000, or both, Maharjan said.

The proposed standards define ice cream as a product made by freezing a pasteurised mixture of milk or milk products such as cream and milk powder, processed through methods including mixing, homogenisation and aeration.

Ice cream may contain sweeteners, eggs, water, fruits, nuts, coffee, cocoa, chocolate, spices, and approved food colours, flavours and additives. Additional ingredients such as bakery products, chocolate, fruits and nuts may be incorporated as layers, coatings or mixed components.

The standards require ice cream to be clean, hygienic and free from abnormal taste or odour. Raw materials must be safe and suitable for consumption, and only milk fat is permitted as the fat source.

Texture must be smooth and uniform, with no noticeable sugar or fat particles. Temperature must be maintained at minus 18 degrees Celsius or below during production and storage, and at minus 10 degrees Celsius or below during sale and distribution.

The draft sets minimum composition thresholds. Low-fat ice cream must weigh at least 475 grams per litre, while standard ice cream must weigh 525 grams per litre. Total solids must be at least 30 percent for low-fat and 36 percent for standard varieties.

Milk fat content must range between 5 and 10 percent for low-fat ice cream and be at least 10 percent for standard ice cream. Milk protein content must be at least 3.5 percent in both categories.

If fat content or product type is not specified on the label, the stricter standard ice cream criteria will apply.

Where ingredients such as fruits, nuts or chocolate are used as layers or coatings, quality standards will apply only to the core portion of the ice cream. For laboratory testing, these external components must be removed before analysis.

The standards also extend to milk-based products such as kulfi and set limits on contaminants, toxins, pesticide residues and veterinary drug residues in line with government regulations.

Detailed provisions govern production, processing, packaging, storage, transportation and distribution. Ice cream must be packed in clean, dry, food-grade materials. Packaging components such as cones, paperboard, plastic and foil must be food-safe, with paperboard coated to prevent moisture penetration.

Labelling requirements include disclosure of ingredients, composition and nutritional information, including fat, carbohydrate and energy content. The use of food colours, flavours and additives must be indicated with their International Numbering System (INS) codes. Artificial sweeteners must be clearly declared.

The proposed standards also define frozen desserts, distinguishing them from ice cream by allowing the use of vegetable or animal fats instead of milk fat.

Frozen desserts must meet similar hygiene, texture and temperature requirements, with storage at minus 18 degrees Celsius or below and distribution at minus 10 degrees Celsius or below.

Trans fat content must not exceed 2 percent of total fat. Composition standards mirror those of ice cream, with minimum weight, total solids, fat and protein thresholds set for both low-fat and standard categories.

As with ice cream, layered or coated ingredients are excluded from laboratory analysis, and mixed ingredients must meet overall quality standards.

Packaging and labelling rules are equally stringent. Products must clearly display “Frozen Dessert” on the front label and disclose composition, trans fat content and nutritional values.

The standards also cap food colour usage at 200 milligrams per kilogram and require full disclosure of additives, artificial sweeteners and ingredient details.

Officials say the move aims to bring Nepal’s dairy and processed food sector in line with international practices while strengthening consumer protection in a fast-growing market segment.