Nepal will establish chhurpi standards as its export potential increases.

In an effort to bring Chhurpi, a fermented hard cheese, up to international standards as demand for it rises in the outside market, Nepal's quality watchdog has put forth new guidelines for the product.

Traditional highland product chhurpi is a hard cheese rich in protein that has a smokey flavor and gets chewier the longer you bite at it.

The distinctively difficult texture of this solid food has made it a favorite among the inhabitants of eastern Nepal, eastern India, and Bhutan for many years. Yak milk hard cheese has become increasingly popular with American and Canadian dogs, to the point where vendors are struggling to meet the demand.

In order to guarantee that the food is safe to consume, officials said that the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control has asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development for the sanitary and phytosanitary data of chhurpi.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has been notified by the government of the standards draft.

Exporters of food and agricultural products must adhere to a number of regulations in order to enter markets for their products.

Producers and consumers are shielded from certain health and safety hazards by use of sanitary and phytosanitary measures.

Sanitary and phytosanitary measures, according to the WTO Agreement, encompass all pertinent laws, decrees, regulations, requirements, and procedures, including those pertaining to end product criteria, production processes, testing, inspection, and approval procedures, and quarantine treatments related to the transportation of goods, animals, or plants.

It also covers labelling and packaging specifications that are closely connected to food safety.

The Department of Food Technology and Quality Control stated that the new standards will be put into effect following their publication in the Nepal Gazette, provided the World Trade Organization is satisfied.

As a representative for the quality control department, Mohan Krishna Maharjan stated, "It is in the process and will take at least 60 days to get a response from the WTO."

The department is always preparing and updating the traditional food of Nepal. Since chhurpi is a traditional dish in Nepal and is starting to be exported, we made it according to normal procedure, Maharjan added.

According to Maharjan, the proposed guideline will also be applied to dog chew, which is imported and fed to cats and dogs.

Dog chews made locally have recently gained popularity as exportable goods, and Maharjan noted that as exports rise, it will be crucial to maintain product quality, standards, and safety. The product is in demand because pet owners would rather give their animals chews that are high in nutrients than junk food.

Preservatives, colouring, or other additives are absent from the dog chew. It is made by hand utilising traditional methods, milk, and natural ingredients.

Chhurpi is made by hand using traditional methods, milk, and natural ingredients. Boiling the milk, straining out the whey, and shaping and drying the solid residue are the steps involved in manufacturing hard cheese, or chhurpi. After a month of drying, the hard cheese is split into sticks and smoked.

According to officials, importers primarily consider national laws governing imported goods.

According to Maharjan, producers that disregard the criteria once the sanitary and phytosanitary procedures are implemented will be subject to fines under the Food Act. The maximum penalty under the law is five years in prison or a fine of Rs. fifty thousand.

The suggested guidelines state that it would be applied to all varieties of chhurpi made from processed single or blended milk from cows, yaks, and buffaloes.

Chhurpi that has five percent or more milk fat should be classified as high-fat chhurpi.

Less than 5% of the milk in the low-fat chhurpi should be fat. There has been a growing trend of using low-fat milk as dog chew.

Chhurpi need to have a pleasant aroma and flavour, and it ought to be pure and clean. It should be free of rot, bugs, and fungi.

No kind of stone, sand, glass, plastic or its fragments, mud, or metal should be present in chhurpi. In addition, it must be clear of human hair, straw, fabric, live or dead pests, mice of any kind, other animal dung, and other detritus.

Moisture content in the high and low milk fat chhurpi should not exceed 14%, while the crude milk protein content should be at least 60% by dry weight. 

The highest possible residue level of toxins, pollutants, and residue in chhurpi should be established by the government.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development's food purity rules should be followed during the production, processing, packing, handling, storing, and transportation of chhurpi.

According to the Food Regulations, the packaging material used for chhurpi ought to be dry, clean, and food-grade, with the appropriate labelling.

The ingredients that went into making the chhurpi should be included on the label.

Dog chews produced in the eastern highlands of Nepal have recently emerged as a surprising competitor for the country's top exports.

In the most recent fiscal year that concluded on July 15, Nepal exported 1,646 tons of dog chew valued at Rs3.18 billion, according to the Department of Customs' annual report on international trade. However, because of the export standards regulations, the shipments have somewhat decreased.

The preceding fiscal year 2022–2023 saw 1,786 tons of dog chew exported for a total value of Rs3.40 billion.

Dog treats from Nepal are mostly sold to the US and then Canada.

Nepal supplied 1,238 tons of dog chew worth Rs266.38 million to Canada and 1,435 tons worth Rs2.76 billion to the US.

When people were compelled to stay at home during the Covid-19 lockdowns, they purchased more pets, which is why insiders believe there was a sharp increase in demand for dog chew in the US and Canada.