Food Standards Formulation

Food standards
Food standards are the body of rules directly concerned to foodstuffs, whether they take
the form of official, semi – official or factory norms. They are rules of measurement
established by the regulatory authority of a country. A standard of food describes about
minimum quality and safety requirement that a product need to meet before sending to
market. Government (Federal, state or local bodies) and sometimes international
organization have a role to enforce it.
In Nepal these standards are formulated under Food Act (2023). It ensures safety and
quality of by imposing minimum standards in the system, end product and banning the
production and sale of any food items that does not comply with the minimum standard.
Food standards are the basic requirements to enforce food law and safeguard consumer
health. They are useful to assure the confidence of consumers in the food system. They are
the basic criteria to adopt fair practices in food trade.
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 Food Standards Formulation

They are also used for differentiating and communicating product quality and safety to the
consumers as well as being a competitive strategy.
There are different types of standards namely process standards, generic standard and
information standards but most mandatory standards are combination of these three
standards.
“Mandatory” is required by law or mandate or compulsory. Mandatory standards are the
minimum standards to be fulfilled in process, system or in the end product. They are
followed by all food business operators. Mandatory standards are also called technical
regulation.
Department of food technology and Quality Control (DFTQC) takes the initiation for the
formulation of mandatory standards in Nepal.

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Table 1: Mandatory standards can be classified as:
S.N. Type Description
1. Vertical or Standard of a given product. It is related to single food
generic standard commodity.
2. Horizontal Standards that are applicable to similar food products e.g.
standards aflatoxin, in food product, maximum residual limit of
pesticides, heavy metals in food products, food color in
processed foods.
3. Process Standards Standards that describes how a product shall be processed
4. Information Standards that describes about labeling and other
Standards communications that go with the product. It adds value to the
product by ensuring that the food is protected and right
information about the product is passed to the consumer.

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Steps of Mandatory standards formulation
DFTQC is the responsible authority to make the primary draft of food standard.
The formulation steps are:
Draft Preparation
1. Draft Preparation
Under the provisions of Food Rules (2027),
Approval of Food Standard
Technical Sub – Committee takes the initiation for
drafting food standards. Representative samples
are drawn from different parts of country. The SPS Notification
samples are tested in laboratory for the proposed
parameters. Finally, proposed draft of food
standards is prepared. It is further refined by Publication in Nepal Gazette
discussion with the concerned specialist.
Enforcement
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2. Approval of Food Standard: Under the provision of Food Regulation (2027), meeting of Food
Standard Fixation Committee is called. The meeting is held in the chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry
of Agriculture and Livestock Development. The eleven member committee formulated under Food
Regulations approves the draft of food standards.
3. SPS Notification: The approval draft food standard is uploaded on website of WTO’s SPS notification
for 2 months. The objections, queries of member nations are responded. The responses are included in
the final draft, if they are found relevant.
4. Publication in Nepal Gazatte: The approval draft standard is the recommended and forwarded to
Nepal Government through Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development for verification and
publication.
5. Enforcement: After publication, it shall be part of food regulation and goes for immediate
enforcement.
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Mandatory Food Standards
Setting the mandatory food standards is the prime legal basis for regulating the safety and
quality of food. Although, there are thousands of food products available in the market,
Government of Nepal, till the date has formulated 122 generic standards as shown in
following table:
Table 2: Generic standards developed by the Government of Nepal
Food Groups Commodity
Milk, Cow milk, buffalo milk, ghee, processed milk, evaporated
milk, evaporated skimmed milk, sweetened condensed milk,
skimmed sweetened condensed milk, partly skimmed sweetened
Milk and Milk Products condensed milk, butter, Cream, Curd, Infant milk food, Infant food,
whole milk powder, Skimmed milk powder, paneer, processed full
cream milk, processed low fat milk, processed skimmed milk,
processed flavoured milk (22)

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Food Groups Commodity
Fats and Oil Products Mustard oil, imported rapeseed oil, Soybean oil, Palm oil, Palm kernel oil,
Pamolein oil, Groundnut oil, Coconut oil, Sesame oil, Corn/maize oil,
Sunflower oil, Olive oil, Safflower oil, refined vegetable oil, Hydrogenated
vegetable oil, Bakery shortening (16)
Fruits and Vegetable Fruit Juice, Tomato juice, Fruit Syrup, Fruit squash, Fruit Bvereages,
Products Tomato sauce/ketchup, Jam, Pectin mixed jam, Marmalade, Chutney sauce,
Canned Fruit cocktail, canned pineapple, Canned orange segment, Canned
Pears, Canned lapsy, Lapsy relish and Pickle (17)
Spices and Condiments Cardamom capsule, Cardamom seeds, Cardamom powder, Dried ginger,
Dried ginger powder, Turmeric rhizome, Turmeric powder, Cumin seeds,
Cumin powder, Pepper seeds, Pepper powder, Chilies, Chilies Powder,
Coriander seeds, Coriander powder, Fenugreek, Cinnamon whole, Ajowan
seeds, Whole clove, Spice powder, Cinnamon Powder and Fennel seeds (22)
Tea and coffee Tea, Coffee powder, soluble instant coffee powder and Green tea (4)

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Salt Common salt and Iodised salt (2)

Cereal, pulse and their Food grain, Whole wheat flour (atta), Wheat flour (maida), Semolina,
products Bread, Biscuit, Stick noodles, Whole green gram, Split green gram,
Dehusked split green gram, Red gram, Whole black gram, Split black gram,
Whole Bengal gram, Split Bengal gram, Whole lentil, Dehusked lentil,
Bengal gram flour, Wheat grain, Maize grain, Fortified (whole wheat and
wheat) flour, Corn flakes, Rice and Packaged snack foods (25)
Packaged drinking water Packaged drinking water and Minerak water (2)
Sweetening agent Sugar, Mishri and Honey (3)
Sweets and Confectionery Sugar boiled confectionary, Lozenges and Chewing gum/bubble gum (3)
Meat Luncheon meat (1)
Alcoholic beverages Whiskey, Rum, Vodka, Brandy and Gin (5)
Total 122 Commodities

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As an example the mandatory standards for few of the food products are given below
(Actual version is in Nepali)

1. Instant noodles

Instant noodle means the product prepared from refined wheat flour which is cooked in
the shape of curled or twisted thread or in any other shape .The product may contains
vegetable oil, seasonings, eggs, mushrooms, vegetables, chicken or its extract, shrimp
etc. and may be added with permitted flavour. The product shall not contain any mould
and insect infestations, parts or whole, and shall meet the following requirements:

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 Food Standards Formulation
(a) Moisture Not more than 5.0 %
(b) Total ash Not more than 4.0 %
(c) Ash insoluble in dilute HCl Not more than 0.1 %
(d) Protein Not less than 10.0 %
(e) Extract Fat
(i) Acid value of extracted fat Not more than 1.0 %
(ii) Peroxide value Not more than 10 mili equivalent
peroxide oxygen per kg oil
(f) Monosodium glutamate Not more than 1.0 %
If the noodle is prepared for the baby below the age of 12 month, it shall not contain
monosodium glutamate.
The type of oil which is provided in the sachet shall meet the quality standards as fixed
for that particular type of oil.
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2. Fruit juice
Fruit juice means the unfermented and un-concentrated liquid expressed from fresh,
wholesome and ripe fruit and with or without:-
(a) Sugar, dextrose, inverts sugar, or liquid glucose, either singly or in combination.
(b) Water, peel-oil, fruit essences and flavor, common salt, ascorbic acid, citric acid, and
permitted colors and preservatives.
(c) The acidity of the finished product calculated as citric acid shall not be less than 4
per cent in the case of pure lemon juice, 5 per cent in the case of pure lemon juice
but shall not exceed 3.5 per cent in the case of other juices.
(d) The total soluble solids (except added sugar), measured by refract meter, must be not
less than as mentioned below in different fruit juices:

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1. Orange 10.5 percent (by weight)

2. Lemon 7.5 percent (by weight)
3. Pine apple 10.0 percent (by weight)
e. Fill of the container must be not less than 90 percent of the total capacity of the
container
3. Processed milk
Processed milk means the liquid milk containing not less than 3.0 % milk fat and 8.0
% milksolid-not-fat (SNF) by adjusting either or not by the partial removal of milk
fat and either or not by the solubilization of skimmed milk powder and processed by
pasteurization or sterilization. The milk processed by pasteurization process can be
labeled as "pasteurized milk" and that processed by sterilization can be labeled as
"sterilized milk".
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4. Luncheon meat
Luncheon meat means the product prepared from edible portion of meat of
mammalian animal, or bird slaughtered in an abattoir, which have been subjected to
anti-mortem and post-mortem inspection.
Above mentioned edible meat shall be uniformly cured with edible common salt and
permitted amount of sodium and / or potassium nitrite. The luncheon meat may be
with or without binders such as cereal flour/starch, bread, biscuits or bakery
products, milk powder, whey powder, egg protein, vegetable protein products,
glucose, invert sugar, dextrose, lactose, maltose, glucose syrup, including corn
syrup, spices, seasoning and condiments and water soluble hydrolyzed protein. The
product may be smoked and flavored with natural and natural identical flavors and
permitted flavor enhancer.
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It may contain ascorbic acid / isoascorbic acid and its sodium salts (sodium
isoascorbate- singly or in combination) not exceeding 500 mg/kg expressed as
ascorbic acid as antioxidant and sodium and or potassium mono- and di -
polyphosphates singly or in combination not exceeding 3000 mg/kg (expressed as
P2O5) as water retention agents

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 Food Standards Formulation
The quality requirements of luncheon meat must be as mentioned below in the
table:-
1 (A) Minimum Meat content
(1) Product without binder Not less than 90 percent
(2) Product with binder Not less than 80 percent
(B) Total Fat content
(1) Product without binder Not more than 30 percent
(2) Product with binder Not more than 35 percent
2 Microbial count
(1) Total Plate Count Not more than 1,000 per gram
(2) E. coli Absent in 25 gram
(3) Salmonella Absent in 25 gram
(4) Staphylococcus aureus Absent in 25 gram
(5) Clostridium perfringens Absent in 25 gram
(6) Clostridium botulinum Absent 15
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5. Carbonated water
Carbonated water (nonalcoholic beverage) means the beverage prepared by mixing
one or more ingredients which is packed and sealed in bottle or can impregnated
with carbon dioxide under pressure. The following ingredients can be added in the
product. • Sugar, liquid glucose, dextrose monohydrate, inverts sugar, fructose,
honey, fruits and vegetable extractive. and permitted flavoring, coloring and
preservatives and emulsifying and stabilizing agents, citric acid, fumaric
acid,sorbitol, tartaric acid, phosphoric acid, lactic acid, ascorbic acid,malic acid,
edible gus asuch as guar, karaya, arabic, carobean, furcellaran, tragacanth, gum
ghatti, gelatin, albumin, licorice, and its derivatives,salts of calcium and magnesium
and vitamins.

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 Food Standards Formulation
Table 4: The following additives shall not exceed the quantity as given
below:
1. Caffeine not more than 200 mg/liter
2. estergum(glycerol ester of wood resin) not more than 100 mg/liter
3. quinine salt as quinine sulphate not more than 100 mg / liter
4. saccharine-Na not more than 100 mg/liter
or acesulfame - K not more than 300 mg/liter
or aspartame as methyl ester not more thane 700 mg/liter or
sucralose not more than 300 mg /liter

It shall absent with microorganisms or shall not be exceeded in numbers as given below:
1. Total plate count not more than 50
2. Coliform count / 100 ml absent
3. Yeast and mould count/ml not more than 2
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Carbonation

Carbonated water shall be subjected to carbonation and depending upon the type of
beverage, at least one volume of carbon dioxide shall be present with suitably
adjusting the temperature. The product if added with sugar, the quantity thereof shall
be mentioned in the label. And if the product is not added with sugar it shall be
mentioned in the label. In case the product is packed in a recycle bottle the
information for sugar added or not added con be given in the crown.

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Horizontal Standards
Government of Nepal has formulated the horizontal standards on some of the safety
parameters of food (Table 3). Horizontal standards are the common standards applicable
for similar food commodities. Preservatives (sulphur dioxide, benzoic acid, sodium or
potassium nitrites, sorbic acid and its sodium, potassium and calcium saltsm propionates
of calcium and sodium, nicin, methyl or propyl para – hydroxy benzoate, propanoic
acid, sodium diacetate, sodium potassium salts or lactic acid, etc.), some toxicity heavy
metals (lead, copper, arsenic, tin, zinc, cadmium, mercury, chromium and nickel),
melamine in certain food products and coal tar color on specific foods have been
included in horizontal standards.

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 Food Standards Formulation
Table 3: Horizontal standards developed by the Government of Nepal
Parameters Initiatives
Food Additives Food color, preservatives, stabilizers, firming agents, acidity
regulators, emulsifiers, anti – caking agents, Anti – oxidants and
monosodium glutamate are included
Food contamination Pestcides residues, aflatoxin, heavy metals, radioactivity and
microbiology are included
Melamine Melamine in powder infant formula, liquid infant formula, milk and
milk products and other foods
Information (Food Labeling requirements included the name of the food product, name
labeling mentioned in and address of the manufacturer, name of the ingredients used,
Food Rule 2027) weight or volume of the product, name of preservatives and color
used, batch number, date of manufacturing and expiry date, label
should be written in Nepali or English language.
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Challenges for formulation and enforcement of food standards

In developing countries like Nepal, compliance with food standards may be difficult
but it is mandatory for trade. Lack of adequate resources, coordination between
organizations handling food safety issues, lack of awareness about standards are few
of the outstanding issues in handling food safety issues. Additionally, there is need to
build national capacity in terms of laboratory, risk analysis and toxicological study to
have a competent system standard formulation. Developing the testing capacity,
carrying risk analysis, toxicological evaluation of food additives and contaminants etc.
are the major challenges for formulating food standards.

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