We know you may have questions about our emergency operations in Nepal. Here are some answers to questions raised on social media recently.
Q. I’ve seen on Twitter some tweets about food quality issues in Nepal. What’s going on?
A. All of the food that WFP has distributed to earthquake survivors in Nepal has been edible and safe for consumption. There have been two cases where food has spoiled, and in both cases the problem was quickly identified before distribution.
Q. What happened in Kabhre?
A. In Kabhre district in May there were some stories containing false claims about WFP rice being inedible. As soon as we heard these claims we investigated, including testing the rice. Lab tests found that the rice was safe and edible but it had a slightly higher percentage of broken rice grains than our quality standard. You can see the test results here, and a photo of the rice in question here. Broken rice means just that, the grains are broken during processing. It’s still ok to eat. However, we understand that there is often a personal preference for rice grains that aren’t broken so we replaced the rice and discontinued using that local supplier.
Q. What about in Laprak?
A. In Laprak, we investigated two separate claims of spoiled rice. In the first case, we found that the rice wasn’t from WFP - our rice was distributed in white bags and the rice in question was in yellow bags. In the second case, about a quarter of the rice that was delivered to Laprak on 16 June in our white bags had spoiled. Our partner, the Nepal Red Cross Society – with whom we work closely in Nepal and who carries out many of our food distributions - identified the problem before distribution began and set aside the 120 bags so we could replace them. None of the problem rice was distributed, and it is being replaced. To put this case into perspective, the 120 bags of rice, each weighing 50 kilograms, amounts to 6 metric tons. Since the 25 April earthquake, WFP has distributed 5,400 metric tons of food to survivors.
Q. What happened in Nepalgunj?
A. In Nepalgunj, WFP received a shipment of yellow split peas that did not meet our quality specifications. As soon as the problem was identified, the contract was cancelled and none of the food was distributed. Instead, we are sending the spoiled food back and ordering more lentils from another supplier.
Q. What are you doing to make sure food that you distribute is ok to eat?
A. WFP takes food quality and safety extremely seriously and our stringent food quality standards are in line with the Government of Nepal's regulations. As part of our efforts to guarantee the procurement and distribution of food that meets international standards of safety and quality, a WFP food technologist was deployed to Kathmandu to ensure continued close working relations between WFP and the Government on food safety. All of our suppliers are accredited, and samples of the food we purchase are tested for quality and safety. We have provided safe and nutritious food for almost 2 million earthquake survivors in Nepal and we continue to work alongside both the government and people of Nepal to help the country recover from the devastating 25 April earthquake.