Sunil Canteen and Gujeshwari Hotel Pvt Ltd located in Veer Hospital, MB Chamena Home and Siddharth Sweet & Bakes Pvt Ltd operating in Teaching Hospital Maharajganj and Sunil Canteen, Manakamana My Canteen and Cafe Care Pvt Ltd located in maternity home were found to be kept without labels and hygiene was neglected.
It has been found that the canteen and chamena home run in the government hospital are playing with the health of common people. In the monitoring carried out by the government agencies, it has been found that the canteens operated at Veer Hospital, National Trauma Center, Teaching Hospital Maharajganj and Maternity Home did not pay attention to cleanliness, did not keep complete label details, stored cooked and uncooked food items together.
The joint monitoring team of Food Technology and Quality Control Department and Kathmandu Metropolitan City found such a situation. Under the leadership of Susan Niraula, food analyst of the department, inspection and sample testing of chamena home run at Veer Hospital and National Trauma Center, Ratnapark and Teaching Hospital Maharajgunj was conducted on 8th Baisakh.
Mohankrishna Maharjan, spokesperson of the department, said that although the sample quality was found to be normal in the mobile food lab van, there were many problems in the physical inspection. While inspecting the Sunil canteen at Veer Hospital, the problem of cleanliness was noticed. It has been observed that food products are stored and used without complete label details.
Dish washing and cooking areas were kept together, cooked and uncooked food items were found stored together, Maharjan said.
'Three samples of drinking water, one of milk, one of honey and one of oil being sold in the canteen were tested in the mobile food lab van,' said spokesperson Maharjan, 'We have instructed the canteen to improve its cleanliness and pay attention to food hygiene, to keep the cooking and washing areas separate and to use food items with complete label details.' Sanitation was found to be unsatisfactory and label information on milk was not complete. The department said that the storage in the refrigerator was not organized and cooked and uncooked food items were stored together.
The hotel has also been instructed to pay attention to food hygiene by improving cleanliness, keeping cooking and washing dishes separate, and destroying food items that do not meet the label details and using food items with complete label details. According to the Consumer Protection Act 2054, the name, address, industry registration number of the producer, the composition of the product, quantity, weight and quality of the product must be mentioned on the label of the consumer product.
The department has said that the method of consumption of consumables and the possible effects of consumption, the price of the commodity, the batch number and production date, the expiry date of consumption should be mentioned. According to the Act, those who sell/distribute without labeling can be punished with imprisonment up to two years or a fine of up to 30,000 rupees or both.
Recently, the Department of Commercial Supplies and Consumer Protection has mandated labels on food items. Commerce has repeatedly issued notices asking to make the label mandatory. It is also mentioned in the statement of commerce that strict action will be taken if the label is not mentioned. However, even if unlabeled food items are found in the monitoring conducted by the Food Department, only instructions have been given to improve them. Food claims that fines are not possible at the inspection site as the Food Department is monitoring according to the Food Act.
Food monitoring team inspected MB Chamena home at Teaching Hospital Maharajganj. During the monitoring, it was found that sanitation and drainage conditions should be improved and waste management should be improved. Instructions have been given to improve the said canteen.
Siddharth Sweet & Bakes Pvt Ltd inspection revealed that cleanliness was not satisfactory. Some food items were found to be stored and used without complete label information, and washing and cooking areas were located together. Siddharth is also instructed to reform.
Consumer rights activist Madhav Timalsina said negligence in hospital canteen is a serious crime. "Everybody goes to the hospital when they are sick, but the negligence of food in the canteen is a serious crime. Unlabeled items cannot be sold. But the sale has been made," said Timalsina, who is also the president of the Consumer Rights Research Forum. "Even if the food has only given instructions, other regulatory bodies should immediately monitor and bring it into legal scope. Immunity by just giving instructions will not improve, it is necessary to take legal action.' The same problem was observed in Sunil Canteen and Clothing Shop, Manakamana My Canteen, Cafe Care Pvt. Lack of hygiene in the canteen, storage in the refrigerator was not organized, veg and non-veg food were stored in the same place. All the three canteens have been instructed to improve.
