Food Company Caught Repackaging Substandard Rice

Kathmandu. The government-owned Food Management and Trading Company Limited, Biratnagar has been found to be repackaging and distributing substandard rice. This negligence was discovered during a joint inspection by the Food Technology and Quality Control Office, Biratnagar and the Department of Commerce, Supply and Consumer Protection in Morang district. The department has initiated necessary action against the food company in accordance with the Food Hygiene and Quality Act, 2081.

During the inspection, extreme unhygienic conditions and serious flaws were found in the company's rice storage warehouse. The team found workers repacking 39 sacks of 25 kg rice, damaged by mice, into new sacks. Small lumps (chilisa) were found in the rice, and biological matter (insects or organisms) were found within these lumps. Furthermore, during the inspection, it was found that rice sacks were being sold and distributed without batch numbers and prices, the storage room temperature was excessively high, there was a lack of cleanliness in the warehouse and no effective measures for rodent control, and full label details were not mentioned.

Following this serious negligence, the inspection team has completely halted the sale and distribution of 39 sacks of 'Steam Jira Masino Rice', each weighing 25 kg, with a production date of Chaitra 15, 2081 and an expiry period of 2 years, until further notice.

According to Dr. Balkumari Sharma, Senior Food Research Officer at the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, samples of the rice have been collected and sent to the laboratory for quality testing, and further legal action will be initiated after the test report is received.