Kathmandu. The mandatory situation of having to go to India for testing of food products exported from Nepal has come to an end. With the international recognition of two laboratories in Nepal for testing, the obligation of having to go to India for testing of food products has been removed.
India has granted international recognition to the Nepal National Food and Feed Reference Laboratory under the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control of Nepal and the laboratory under the Food Technology and Quality Control Office in Biratnagar. The Indian government has decided to grant mutual recognition to the analytical quality test certificates of eight food groups exported from Nepal to India, ending the ongoing complications in food testing.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) have granted mutual recognition to two laboratories in Nepal, informed Sanjeev Kumar Karna, Director General of the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, in an interview with News Agency Nepal.
From now on, the test reports received from food items tested here will be recognized in the international market. He said, “The Nepal National Food and Feed Reference Laboratory under the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control of Nepal and the laboratory under the Food Technology and Quality Control Office in Biratnagar will be recognized internationally.” It has been recognized. From now on, the food products tested here will be recognized in the international market with the test report.’
In order to increase exports, the hygiene regulatory bodies of the country to which we want to export food products must recognize the Nepali laboratory and test report. Therefore, from now on, the obligation to go to the country where we want to export and test the food products has been removed. The government had been working with India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in various stages of recognition. Finally, from April 4, two Nepali laboratories have been officially recognized.
With the recognition from India, the testing of juices, jams, jellies, pickles, sugar products, ginger, fruits, vegetables and instant noodles exported from Nepal will be done in Nepal. In addition, exports to India will be unhindered based on the certificate issued by the Nepali laboratory. He said that this will not require the goods that have been tested and certified by Nepal and exported to India to be tested again in the Indian laboratory. He said that after getting the test report and certificate suitable for consumption from the Nepali National Lab, the Indian Customs will complete the process and issue it.
Director General Karna said that the cost of entrepreneurs will also decrease with the internationalization. He informed that if Nepali food products reach India and are found to be of low quality, the obligation to bring them back or destroy them there will also be removed.
The department said that this is a good start and is confident that trade facilitation and exports will increase. This will facilitate the export of many food products and this is a great achievement, the department said. The department has now said that entrepreneurs will have to apply two weeks before exporting and get their industries inspected and batch certified.
After the department applied to the Indian body, a team from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories came to Nepal and assessed it. The laboratory used to test food items for 284 parameters, but now it has been increased to 634, the department said. The department currently has 13 labs.
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