Science in Action: A Food Safety Imperative for Nepal

Every year, on June 7, the global community observes World Food Safety Day—a timely reminder that our health, economy, and national resilience all depend on one often-overlooked factor: the safety of the food we eat. This year’s theme, “Food Safety: Science in Action,” invites us to reflect not just on policy declarations but on evidence-based action. It underscores how scientific knowledge, when integrated into laws, standards, and daily practice, safeguards lives, supports trade, and earns consumer trust.

Nepal’s own food safety journey provides a unique vantage point. Long before the United Nations General Assembly officially declared World Food Safety Day in 2018, Nepal had already institutionalized National Food Safety Day in 2009. This early leadership was backed by strong advocacy from the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC) and professional institutions such as NEFOSTA, who long recognized the urgent need to modernize food governance. Today, Nepal’s progress is visible but far from complete.

The endorsement of the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2081 (2024) marks a major shift from reactive food control to a modern, science-based regulatory approach. This Act draws from Codex Alimentarius principles, which emphasize hazard analysis, risk assessment, and the importance of science in standard-setting and enforcement. It introduces key tools—traceability, risk-based inspection, and multi-tiered oversight—across the food value chain. The pending Food Safety and Quality Rules are expected to further operationalize these concepts.

Science-based decision-making has already delivered results. DFTQC has expanded laboratory capacity, introduced digital systems like NeFFILS and LIMS, and gained international recognition of its lab reports for trade. The use of mobile food testing labs by municipalities like Kathmandu Metropolitan City illustrates how scientific tools are reaching the last mile.

But we must not overlook the persistent challenges. More than 6% of sampled food products still fail safety checks. Many provincial laboratories remain under-resourced and unaccredited. Local governments lack the vehicles and human resources needed for routine inspections. Despite increasing digitalization, surveillance systems remain fragmented and underutilized for policy feedback.

This year, to commemorate World Food Safety Day 2025, Nepal observed an entire Food Safety Week, engaging a wide range of stakeholders. A national oratory competition among university students sparked youth debate on safe food practices. Awareness campaigns were organized in schools across several provinces. A Safe4Food Hackathon brought together young technologists to develop digital solutions for food system challenges. Within the same week, a national-level food safety system dialogue was held with participation from policymakers, experts, and private sector actors. The dialogue identified critical barriers such as policy implementation gaps, limited institutional capacity and training, and low public awareness.

The week culminated in a massive public rally in Kathmandu followed by a formal national event chaired by the Honorable Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development. This concluding ceremony reinforced the message that safe food saves lives, while spotlighting the indispensable roles of food scientists and technologists in building a safer, healthier food system for Nepal.

To move from intent to impact, five strategic shifts are needed:

First, the government must formally enact and implement the FSQ Rules, backed by clear guidelines, standard operating procedures, and provincial capacity-building.

Second, our laboratory infrastructure must be upgraded, not just in hardware but in staff skills and accreditation to ISO 17025 standards.

Third, research institutions and the National Food Research Center must be enabled to produce actionable data, in partnership with academia and international bodies like FAO and WHO.

Fourth, the private sector must be actively engaged—through incentives, regulation, and technical support—to adopt systems like HACCP and ISO 22000.

Fifth, institutions like NEFOSTA must continue to serve as bridges between science and policy, advocating for risk communication, education, and consumer empowerment.

This year’s World Food Safety Day also comes at a time when Nepal is making long-term nutrition and food system commitments, including through the UN Food Systems Summit and the Multi-Sector Nutrition Plan III (MSNP III). Both frameworks recognize that unsafe food undermines not only health, but also agriculture, tourism, and trade.

Food safety is not a technical afterthought—it is a strategic investment in human development, market access, and national integrity. It is time to treat food safety as a shared responsibility, anchored in science but implemented through collaboration across ministries, private enterprises, municipalities, and communities.

On this World Food Safety Day, let us recognize that “science in action” is more than a theme. It is a call to embed science in every inspection, every regulation, every classroom, and every kitchen. Let us act—so that every meal in Nepal is not just filling, but safe, nutritious, and trusted.

– Dr. Atul Upadhyay,

Nepal Food Scientists and Technologists Association & Idea2Impact