Indian relief food items for Nepal quake victims found substandard

Kathmandu, May 7 (IANS) Some food items provided by India like bread and 'parantha' for Nepal earthquake victims were found substandard by Nepali food inspectors on Thursday, officials said here.

During an inspection by officials of the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, some 1,000 packets of bread manufactured by Vaishali brand were found substandard.

These breads had crossed the date of expiry, said the department in a statement, adding that after finding the items substandard, the department destroyed them.

 Purna Chandra Wosit, spokesperson for the department, said the breads had already crossed the date of expiry before being brought to Kathmandu.

Similarly, 1,000 kg of 'parantha' sent through cargo were also found substandard and fungus-laced. Tribhuvan International Airport authorities destroyed these on Thursday.

Wosti said some drink items of Lopez brand sent from Vanarasi were also found to be substandard. The department has not made clear whether these food stuffs were provided by the state or by individuals.

Similarly, some clothes sent from Sikkim as relief materials were also found to be old and unwearable. People from Ramechhap lodged a complaint with the local administration over old clothes from India being supplied to them.