Kathmandu's Bagmati Sweets Sealed After Selling Contaminated Food

Kathmandu. The Department of Food Technology and Quality Control has sealed Bagmati Sweets Pvt. Ltd. in Kathmandu for selling maggot-infested and foul-smelling snacks, in direct violation of government orders. The department has initiated strict action, citing the sale of inedible items in defiance of the Food Hygiene and Quality Act and administrative directives.

The incident began on Chaitra 30, when a complaint was filed with the department regarding maggots and a foul odor found in a packet of snacks from Bagmati Sweets. Based on the complaint, food inspection officers immediately conducted an investigation and issued a strict directive to halt production and distribution until further notice. However, on Baishakh 3, information was received that the company was defying the order and secretly supplying snacks to various organizations.

Acting on this information, a joint team from the department's Rapid Response Team (RRT), the Kathmandu Division Office, the District Administration Office, and the Singha Durbar Police Circle raided Bagmati Sweets. During the operation, it was discovered that 14 packets of contaminated snacks had already reached the Tribhuvan University Registrar's Office and 25 packets had reached Chalnakhel Hospital. Furthermore, the team caught the company red-handed with an additional 7 packets loaded into a vehicle for delivery, totaling 51 packets of contaminated food.

Due to the violation of previous orders and the sale of contaminated food that poses a serious risk to public health, the department has completely sealed the production site and factory of Bagmati Sweets until further notice. 

According to Senior Food Research Officer Dr. Bal Kumari Sharma, further strict legal action is being initiated against the industry under the Food Hygiene and Quality Act, 2081. The department has also warned that it will intensify monitoring to control businesses that remain irresponsible toward consumer health.