Kathmandu, May 9 -- For the first time, Nepal's food quality watchdog has proposed comprehensive standards for ice cream and frozen desserts, responding to rising consumption, particularly among children.

The Food Hygiene Recommendation Committee, formed under the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2024, has endorsed the draft standards. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development forwarded the proposal to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for notification three weeks ago.

"It will take around two months for the WTO notification process," said Mohan Krishna Maharjan, senior food research officer at the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control. "We developed the standards in response to growing consumption to ensure the saf...