Karnali, October 13: Speakers at a programme in Birendranagar, Surkhet, have stressed the importance of food hygiene and quality in protecting public health and supporting development.

Addressing the Food Hygiene and Quality Awareness and Promotion Programme organised by the Food Technology and Quality Control Office, Surkhet, on Monday, they highlighted the need to ensure safe and hygienic food from production to consumption.

Surkhet Chief District Officer Mahendra Prasad Sapkota said promoting hygienic food habits across Karnali Province was essential to improving individual and community health. He noted that healthy human resources were a key foundation for development and cautioned against indiscriminate food consumption.

Similarly, Shreeram Neupane, chief of the Food Technology and Quality Control Office in Surkhet, said the office was working to promote food hygiene while supporting domestic industries.

With festivals approaching and the National Games scheduled to take place in Karnali, the office has prioritised the availability of safe and quality food in the market. Neupane stressed that food production, storage, sales and distribution must comply with prescribed standards.

He also urged business operators to register and renew their firms and obtain the necessary food licences. Businesses failing to meet the required standards would face legal action, he warned.

On the occasion, food research officer Santosh Dahal presented the office’s monthly progress report for Ashoj.