Kathmandu, March18, 2025 – An agreement was signed between the Kathmandu Metropolitan City and the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC) to conduct activities aimed at making food businesses clean, fresh, and of high quality. Acting Chief Administrative Officer of the Metropolitan City, Nuranidhi Neupane, and Director General of the Department, Sanjeev Kumar Karn, signed the agreement at a program held in the department’s meeting hall. The collaboration aims to ensure food hygiene and quality through food business monitoring and food sample testing.
To operate mobile food laboratories for joint monitoring and inspection, the required resources and equipment will be arranged by the Metropolitan City, while other management will be conducted jointly. The inspection and monitoring team will consist of a joint group, including food technicians, microbiologists, and experts.
The action plan for monitoring and inspection will be determined with the participation of both parties. The department will enhance the capacity of food technologists, microbiologists, and other staff working in the Metropolitan City.
After signing the agreement, Director General Karn expressed confidence that the activities under the agreement would create an environment where consumers can receive clean food from both small-scale food vendors and large-scale food service providers in Kathmandu. He said, “The Food Hygiene and Quality Act, 2081, grants local governments the authority to establish and operate their own food laboratories to conduct monitoring, testing, and regulation. The Metropolitan City has the capacity to work in this area, and the department will provide technical support.” He further added, “This collaboration with the Metropolitan City is just the beginning. The department will collaborate similarly with all local governments.”
Deputy Director General Somkant Rijal stated that sharing capacities among institutions leads to sustainable results in clean food services. He added that this collaboration would eliminate the duplication problem seen earlier in monitoring and establish an integrated monitoring system, positively impacting the business environment.
Speaking about the collaboration, Acting Chief Administrative Officer Neupane said, “Collaboration can take place separately or in an integrated manner through policies, programs, and budgets. This cooperation has been carried out under the guidance of leadership.” He also informed that the Metropolitan City is planning to establish a laboratory for food hygiene testing.
The signing program was attended by the Chief of the Administration Department of the Metropolitan City, Dhurva Kumar Kafle; Food Hygiene and Quality Program Consultant Jeevanprabha Lama; Program Advisor Santosh Giri; senior food research officers of the department; and other officials.
The Food Hygiene and Quality Act, 2081, assigns the department the responsibility to facilitate and assist in the inspection and monitoring of food businesses conducted by provincial governments and local levels.
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City has been regularly monitoring food services to protect the rights of consumers to access quality and affordable food. Similarly, it has been providing capacity-building training on hygiene to businesses involved in food services in different sectors.
