Nepal police seizes 10,000 kg of Chinese biscuits

Kathmandu, Sep 27 (UNI) Nepal police have seized 10,000 kg of Chinese biscuits which are thought to be made of contaminated milk products.

''We have received information from Birgunj customs about a ban on the entry of a huge quantity of biscuits on the suspicion that they might have been manufactured using contaminated milk products,'' the Kathmandu Post today quoted Mr Uttam Kumar Bhattarai, Director General of Department of Food Technology and Quality Control as saying.

Amid worldwide reports of contaminated Chinese milk products, which so far have caused death of at least four children and has made thousands of others sick, the government on Wednesday had imposed a ban on import of all kinds of milk products from the northern neighbour.

''As it is quite a new case not only for Nepal but also for other countries, we are consulting with food technologists and closely watching the responses of other nations,'' Mr Bhattarai said.

He said the department has initiated groundwork to import a new laboratory set up equipped with the latest technology to test such contamination in food items. ''We are in the process of importing a 'test kit' from Singapore soon,'' he added.

Mr Bhattarai further said the department has requested all major departmental stores in the capital not to sell Chinese milk products, keeping in mind the health hazards.

UNI XC SKB RN1531