Kathmandu - Nepal has banned the import, entry and sale of Indian-made Priyagold biscuits after the product was found to contain chokar, a cattle feed that is unfit for human consumption. The Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC), the food safety authority functioning under the Ministry of Health and Population, issued the prohibition and ordered businesses across the country to immediately stop selling the biscuits and to recall every batch already in the market, according to reports published on October 18, 2026.
The order takes one of India's established biscuit brands off Nepal's formal market and places the responsibility for clearing it from shop shelves on the importers and food businesses that had been selling it. The biscuits are produced by Surya Food and Agro Limited, an Indian manufacturer whose Priyagold products had reached Nepali consumers through official import channels.
Cattle feed found in biscuits meant for humans
At the centre of the ban is the discovery of chokar, a substance used as cattle feed, in biscuits that were being sold to the public. Regulators determined that the presence of this material rendered the product unfit for human consumption, prompting the department to move against its import and sale.
The department, which is charged with monitoring the quality and safety of food available in Nepal, acted once the finding was established. Rather than allowing the product to remain on shelves pending further checks, it chose to prohibit the biscuits outright, covering their import into the country, their entry across the border and their sale at every level of the supply chain.
The manufacturer, Surya Food and Agro Limited, produces the Priyagold range of biscuits in India. The department's order applies to the Priyagold biscuits that had entered Nepal through official importers, and the prohibition remains in effect on the basis of the findings against the product.
Recall ordered from shops and warehouses
Alongside the ban, the department issued a clear set of directions to the trade. According to the announcement, all official importers and food businesses have been ordered to:
- immediately stop the sale of Priyagold biscuits;
- recall all batches of the product from the market;
- comply with the prohibition on the import and entry of the biscuits into Nepal.
The recall instruction covers every batch of the biscuits in circulation, meaning stock held by distributors and retailers is to be withdrawn rather than sold. Because the ban extends to both import and entry, the product cannot legally be brought into the country even where it has not yet reached shops, closing off the supply route through which the biscuits had previously arrived.
Food businesses that had stocked the biscuits are therefore required to remove them from sale and withdraw them from the market in line with the department's directive. The order was addressed to official importers as well as food businesses, placing the obligation on every commercial actor handling the product rather than on any single segment of the trade.
Regulator's mandate and the message to the market
The DFTQC operates under the Ministry of Health and Population and holds the authority to test food products, enforce standards and prohibit items that are found unfit for consumption. The ban on Priyagold biscuits was issued under that mandate, and it follows the department's finding that the biscuits contained a substance reserved for animal feed rather than human food.
The prohibition and the recall directive were reported by Nepali media outlets including Nepal Press, Nagarik News and Bizmandu, all of which noted that the order was directed at official importers and food businesses across the country.
For consumers, the department's action signals that a product available in the market was found to contain material unfit for human consumption and that the authorities have moved to remove it from sale. Households that still hold packets of the biscuits will be watching for guidance on returns, while retailers must ensure the product is no longer offered to customers.
With the ban in force, any continued import, entry or sale of Priyagold biscuits stands in violation of the department's directive. The immediate burden falls on importers and food businesses to comply with the recall of all batches, while the regulator's action sends a clear message that products failing Nepal's food safety standards will be kept off the market. The department's order, announced through the reports published on October 18, 2026, remains the operative instruction governing the product's status in Nepal until the body decides otherwise.
