Food Adulteration
Food adulteration has become the biggest concern of the people of Bangladesh. It is the process of adding chemical substances to food to reduce manufacturing costs or for some deceptive or malicious purposes. It is an act of a dishonest tradesman who intends to make maximum profit from minimum investment. When profit in business is more important than morality then only it is possible to add the poisoning contents to the foods and beverages. Every now and then we are shocked by media reports of the ingenious form of adulteration of food that we consume regularly. According to IPH (Institute of Public Health), more than 50% of food samples they have tested are adulterated. Candy, chips, ice cream, chewing gum, and even biryani may contain large amounts of poor-quality food colour. Textile dyes such as carbide and thiophene are also being used to colour different items to attract customers. Urea fertilizer is used while frying muri to whiten it. Mangoes, Jackfruits, Lychees, Watermelon, Pineapple, Papay, and Bananas are artificially ripened using a carcinogenic chemical called ethylene oxide. Many fish sellers spray fish with formalin to keep the fish looking fresh for a longer duration. The health effects of having such adulterated food is serious. Health experts agree that prolonged periods of such consumption amount to slow poisoning. Many of these substances are cancer-causing and almost all of them have adverse effects on the digestive system affecting the liver, heart, and other vital organs. So food adulteration is one of the notorious social crimes in our country. So it must be stopped immediately to save the nation. DCC, BSTI, and above all the government should be vigilant in their supervision and monitoring activities. People need to be conscious about their health. They should avoid all kinds of adulterated food.
