Food Quality Office in Hetauda Prepares to File Cases Against 19 Businesses for Adulteration and Selling Unsafe Goods

Hetauda. The Food Technology and Quality Control Office, Hetauda, has initiated the process to file lawsuits against 19 businesspersons for adulterating food items and selling unwholesome goods. Legal action is being prepared against these businesspersons against whom discrepancies were found during market monitoring and sample testing conducted in the current fiscal year 2082/83.

According to the Office Chief Binita Pokhrel, investigations are currently underway to prosecute the businesspersons under the Food Hygiene and Quality Act. Although the process for filing cases has advanced in coordination with the government attorney's office, the registration of cases in the court is pending due to the recent 'Gen Z' protests, she informed. The office stated that cases will be filed in the respective district courts within a few days. In the previous fiscal year, the same office filed cases against 44 traders.

The primary targets during the monitoring were those who adulterated goods in a manner detrimental to health and those selling expired items. Out of 245 samples analyzed by the office in the current fiscal year, 16 samples were found to be adverse. The office is in the process of bringing businesspersons whose samples tested adverse into the legal fold, requiring them to undergo re-testing for improvement, and issuing warnings.

During the same period, 311 kilograms of unwholesome goods, including expired, unlabeled, and rotten items, worth approximately 102,000 rupees, were seized and destroyed. The office reported that inspections have been conducted so far in 121 food markets, 100 food and feed industries, and 56 hotels and restaurants. Over 1.04 million rupees in revenue have also been collected from various headings during this period.