What makes food sold in most Nepali stores ‘organic’? The label

Buyers have developed a habit of trusting the tag on a package rather than demanding proof of the product’s actual quality.

For urban residents navigating Kathmandu’s grocery stores, regional delicacies from specific districts carry an almost magical appeal. Beans from Jumla, cliff-bee honey from Surkhet, ginger from Salyan, apples and potato from Mustang evoke pictures of pristine mountain soil. Yet behind the idyllic images printed on slick packaging lies a stark reality—much of what is sold with the labelled ‘organic’, ‘pure’, or ‘100 percent natural’ is nothing more than unverified marketing hype.