How Safe Is the Food Reaching Our Kitchens?

Based on my national and international experience, I want to highlight some policy measures that the Nepal government should adopt to ensure food hygiene.

Food is considered safe to eat only when it is hygienic; otherwise, it could act as a poison. Individuals consume various food items or mixtures throughout the day. If any of these foods get contaminated for any reason, it can have severe impacts on public health. This issue needs to be seriously understood at the policy-making level.

From another perspective, the government’s responsibility to ensure safe food is to protect citizens from diseases caused by unhealthy food and the associated hospital expenses. Moreover, safe and quality food helps build a healthy, capable, and productive workforce. Although food hygiene is extremely important, in developing countries like Nepal, it often does not receive the expected national priority. Sometimes, monitoring efforts are superficial or conducted mainly for cheap popularity.

As a country with tremendous tourism potential like Nepal, effective policy reforms within limited resources can establish a high-level food safety system. This would significantly contribute to promoting both domestic and international tourism. Creating an environment where foreign tourists can confidently enjoy Nepal’s street food to traditional dishes is essential.

First and foremost, the food inspection system must be decentralized. Decentralization is necessary not only geographically but also functionally. Rather than the Food Technology and Quality Control Division under the central government inspecting local hotels, restaurants, and small industries directly, it would be more efficient if local or provincial governments regulate and manage such businesses. The central government should focus on inspecting large food industries, export-oriented production, import management, and food items posing high public health risks. This approach will help make the division more effective.

In a resource-limited country, integrating research and studies can achieve more effective results at a lower cost. For instance, hundreds of students annually conducting research at food technology institutes across Nepal could contribute significantly to national food hygiene and industry if supported by the government, rather than being limited to academic papers.

Furthermore, instead of viewing industries merely from the perspective of penalties and fines, creating a collaborative environment to solve problems will encourage entrepreneurs to share their issues openly with the government or research institutions.

It is impossible to control all types of food simultaneously in an effective manner. Therefore, the state should prioritize foods that pose high health risks, perishable items, and foods consumed by vulnerable groups. A risk-based food inspection system is the foundation of modern food safety.

Granting some industries and professional organizations the authority and responsibility to self-regulate their member industries could ease government workload. These organizations could develop their own inspection, control, and disciplinary systems. Developed countries like Canada have effectively employed such models.

Effective coordination among various ministries and departments involved in food hygiene is essential. Direct coordination between agencies responsible for seeds, fertilizers, livestock, feed, pesticides, and food quality testing can strengthen the food safety system. For example, regular information exchange between pesticide control and food testing agencies would facilitate better management of pesticide use in food grains.

Another important aspect is improving industries not only through penalties but also via support and capacity building. The government plays a crucial role in providing training, technical manpower, sanitation management, and equipment usage facilitation to food industries. Local or provincial governments can deploy food technologists in industries while the central government monitors and regulates them, dividing responsibilities accordingly.

Currently, there is a tendency for entrepreneurs to hide their issues out of fear of penalties, while inspectors tend to exaggerate minor errors. This dynamic risks weakening the food industry in the long term. Hence, balancing “cooperation and control” is vital for maintaining food hygiene.

Penalties and fine systems must also be scientific and transparent. Nepal should adopt international practices distinguishing between the intent of the industry, past conduct, nature of the error, and whether the mistake was intentional or negligent. Clear standards specifying the penalties for different violations can be publicly communicated.

Nepal imports a significant volume of food products alongside national production. Therefore, effective testing and management of imported food is a major challenge. This should start with high-risk food items. Nepal must establish clear standards regarding which countries and types of food imports are permitted. Where necessary, approval systems based on foreign industry inspections, virtual audits, and document evaluations can be developed.

Monitoring is also essential to ensure that importers comply with minimum food hygiene standards. Additionally, developing a traceability system—capable of quickly tracking a food product from its origin to retailers and consumers—is critical. This would enhance accountability in food hygiene.

Though open borders pose challenges, effective monitoring at the retail level can improve transparency in the food hygiene as well as the tax system. Regular testing of imported food products, building related databases, and instituting risk-based further testing must be developed.

Moreover, maintaining regular updates about international incidents of foodborne infections, adulteration, and unsafe practices is important. Notifications collected through Nepalese embassies worldwide can help prevent risk-prone food products from entering Nepal. Without such vigilance, unfit or rejected food items in other countries may easily enter Nepal.

(Food scientist Harihar Guragain is currently based in Canada.)