Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA) officials in Phuentshogling suspended licenses of two hotels and seized goods for failing to comply with the Food Act of Bhutan, 2005.
Similarly, goods with expired date and without labels in English were also seized from both wholesalers and retailers.
According to BAFRA officials, mostly local products like bread, biscuits and dry meat pickle come without labels. “As per the BAFRA rule, the labeling must include the ingredients, manufacturing details and expiry date of the product,” said Jamphel, Senior Food Inspector, BAFRA.
In case of processed foods, BAFRA officials seized those that had its containers dented. They said people should refrain from consuming processed foods if its containers are dented because it is health hazardous.
“There is a coating inside every container so if the can is severely dented, then that coating peels off and gets into the food inside. And these are processed foods, which means it can be consumed directly. So when the coating, which is a chemical, peels off, it reacts with the food and this can be health hazardous,” said Nim Dorji, also a Senior Food Inspector of the BAFRA.
In case of restaurants and hotels, they said, most did not have food-handling license issued by BAFRA. As per the rule, every restaurant or hotel must have at least one employee holding such a license. For those without such license, BAFRA officials have asked them to register with the office for obtaining one.
Till date, BAFRA issued more than 100 receipts to grocery shops and restaurants for not complying with their rules. For the seized goods, officials said it will be disposed as per the rule in consultation with the Thromde office.
