The call was made in a 10-point declaration on Friday following the end of the conference last week participated by scientist, technicians and government officials.[break]
The meeting, also called Food Conference 2012, asked the government to make better arrangements for food safety and quality, post harvest and food processing technology, functional foods, professional development of those working in the food technology sector, climate change and environmental issues and put in place a syllabus on food technology among others.
Nepal Food Scientists and Technologists Association (NEFOSTA), Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC) and Central Campus of Technology (CCT), Dharan jointly organized the event.
Uttam Kumar Bhattarai, president of main organizing committee, said the declaration had been submitted to the government.
The organizers also requested the government to promulgate Nepal Food Council Act as soon as possible. The declaration said that agriculture sector should be given more priority with the emphasis on production, processing and consumption diversification to contribute for the reduction of all forms and types of malnutrition. For this, the conference called on the agriculture ministry to establish Food and Nutrition Security Division.
Jeevan Prabha Lama, director general of DFTQC, cited government data as saying that around half of Nepal´s population was malnourished. “Due to this the government must be serious about establishing FNSD,” she said.
According to the declaration, Food Act and Regulation should be revised for better food safety and quality. It also called for mandatory nutrition labeling of packaged foods.
“We have also requested the government to design mission programs to standardize and commercialize indigenous food processing technologies and protect the patent right for those foods,” said Bhattarai. He added that food products with geographical and ethnic identification such as tea from Ilam, Newari Titaura and apples from Karnali and Mustang should be promoted.
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