Kathmandu, September 29:

Keeping in view the increasing demand of daily commodities during Dashain and Tihar, the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC) has intensified inspection of food commodities in different parts of the capital city.

“The demand of food stuff is high during festive seasons. When there is high demand, the rate of adulteration is likely to increase. We have intensified inspections to prevent the supply of substandard food stuff during Dashain and Tihar,” Chandra Subba, senior food research officer at DFTQC, told this daily today.

The department started special inspections of food stuff in different parts of the Valley from September 22. The inspection is focussed on sweets, ghee and other supplies that are highly consumed during Dashain and Tihar.

Food inspectors collect samples, either randomly or based on suspicion, and hand it over to public analyst. If the public analyst finds the samples substandard, the case is consulted with lawyers and the District Administration Office before taking necessary legal action against the perpetrators.

Subba further said the trend of adulteration and sale of substandard commodity could be checked if suppliers and consumers were made aware of such trends. “I request consumers and suppliers to be conscious about the quality of food as it is directly linked to our health,” he added.

Meanwhile, the central surveillance committee under the Department of Commerce has requested consumers to be conscious while purchasing food items. According to the committee, each district has a surveillance committee and consumers could file complaint immediately if any food item was found substandard or adulterated.