Our fruits

A week ago, I bought a banana that looked like a village jhapri for 250 rupees a dozen. When I ate it, the local taste was a far cry, there was not even the minimum taste that identifies the banana variety. It was clear that the young banana had been forcibly ripened and brought to the market through some chemical means. A few days ago, I found a Maldaha mango that I bought from a reputable store that was labeled 'pest-free', but most of it simply rotted and went to waste.

These two experiences within a week made me think about how good are our fruits available in the market. Be it Ayurveda or modern health science, both have stated the indispensability of fruits for human health. Therefore, despite the high price, the love of common Nepalese for fruits has been increasing recently. However, there is a situation where many types of fruits available in the Nepali market are mixed with pesticides and enter the consumer's homes. 

Experts have warned that fruits that are usually attractive, bright and enter the market in the off-season are more unhealthy due to pesticides, chemicals and other artificial ingredients. However, the above-mentioned banana and mango case shows that even seasonal fruits are not pesticide-free. The condition of apples, which are available in the market like seasonal fruits all year round, is even more critical. Shiny coating on the outer surface, injection marks on the sticker, unnaturally sweet taste, and rotting within a few days of purchase are the visible complaints. The use of other chemicals is only a matter of detection in the laboratory. ‘Progressive Sustainable Developers Nepal’, when testing apple and banana samples from markets in Kathmandu and other places in an Indian laboratory, concluded that all bananas had high levels of pesticides and up to 7 different types of pesticides were used in a single apple. The question arises – are we actually improving our health by paying high prices for fruits to improve our health or are we damaging it?

Vegetables are not satisfactory 

Tests have shown that even the vegetables that enter Nepali kitchens are not completely healthy. Let's talk about last winter - 99.08 percent of mustard greens were found to contain a pesticide called 'organophosphate' and were declared unfit for consumption by the Central Agricultural Laboratory, saying that it directly affects the liver. Farmers' compulsion to use pesticides as determined by experts on cereals, vegetables and fruits cannot be denied. The limit has been set that if the pesticide use is less than 35 percent, it is edible, if it is used up to 45 percent, it can be eaten after a few days, and if it is above that, it cannot be eaten. However, due to ignoring the recommended time, quantity and method of pesticide use, problematic vegetables and agricultural produce are being supplied to the market.

Quality of dairy products

 Let's talk about last winter - 99.08 percent of mustard greens were found to contain a pesticide called 'organophosphate' and were declared unfit for consumption by the Central Agricultural Laboratory, saying that it directly affects the liver.  Various nutrition agencies in Nepal have recommended consuming 91 to 92 liters of milk and dairy products per capita annually. Government agencies are spreading promotional messages to increase milk consumption, saying that the average consumption per capita is only 72-78 liters per year compared to the recommendation. However, the milk supplied to consumers' homes is not healthy. The government-owned Dairy Development Corporation and many private dairies have repeatedly been found guilty of the quality of milk.

In particular, the fact that harmful chemicals that harm human health are mixed in milk has been confirmed by the government laboratory. Dairies have been found guilty for various reasons, from the polluted environment of the dairy industry to the lack of proper sanitation of milk transport equipment such as tankers, cans, pouches, and other items, to the use of contaminated water, to the production and supply of artificial milk. It has been confirmed many times that coliform bacteria found in feces have been found in milk due to polluted water, contaminated environment, and improperly cleaned utensils.

In addition, research has shown that dairy industries are committing criminal acts against human health by mixing inedible ingredients (such as caustic soda, urea fertilizer, laundry detergent powder, palm oil) to prevent milk from cracking, make it look smooth and thick, and make it last longer. Recently, the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control found that similar acts were being committed in some dairy industries in Bhaktapur, Kavre, Rupandehi, and Makawanpur, which is a matter of concern for the general consumer and a serious challenge for the state.   

Nepal's legal system on food purity

Although the Constitution of Nepal-2072 does not directly mention food purity, food safety and the right to quality food have been ensured as fundamental rights. Article 35 (Right to Health), Article 36 (Right to Food), and Article 44 (Right to Consumers) provide a constitutional basis for the right of citizens to food purity. Under this, Article 44 also provides for the ‘right of every person to receive quality goods and services and to receive compensation for damage caused by substandard goods and services’, and laws including the Food Hygiene and Standards Act-2081 and the Consumer Protection Act-2075 have been implemented for its implementation.

Section 3 of the Consumer Protection Act-2075 states that ‘every consumer has the right to receive quality goods or services’. Clause ‘e’ of Sub-Section 2 ensures ‘the right to be protected from the sale and distribution of goods and services that are harmful to human life, health and property’. According to the Food Hygiene and Standards Act-2081, the production, storage, distribution or sale of food that is contaminated with adulteration or harmful to human health is prohibited. These laws have included all the necessary provisions, from fines to imprisonment for the guilty and compensation for the consumer through legal proceedings, so that the right of the consumer to receive quality and pure food is not violated from anywhere. However, the problem will not end if the law is not implemented meaningfully.