KATHMANDU: The Department of Commerce (DoC) is destroyingd substandard and date-expired consumer foods that were seized from three shops in Kamal Vinayak and Sukul Dhoka of Bhaktapur district. Noodles, wheat flour, dal moth and pickles were destroyed, said DoC inspection officer Kamal Bahadur Thapa.

According to Thapa, 13 packets of BMC spices, Subha Shankar dal moth, 14 packets of wheat flour, 10 packets of local noodles and pickles seized from Bhai and Sons Traders, Sukul Dhoka Oil Industry and Nava Durga Empex were destroyed. “Most of the goods were date-expired and we destroyed them in front of the local people and officials of local administration,” he said.

DoC has started destroying date-expired and substandard consumer goods from yesterday. DoC destroyed 21 jars of Anamol brand and 30 bottles of Aqua brand mineral water seized from Swargadwari Traders, Satdobato, in Lalitpur district on Tuesday.

DoC has started market monitoring and inspection since August to curb the price hike and has intensified the action in September.

However, most retail shops of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur don’t display the price-list of c consumer items. According to the Consumer Protection Act, shopkeepers (wholesellers and retailers) must display price-list for the consumer to see.