Food Adulteration in Bangladesh
Introduction:
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 it is possible to add
poisoning contents to foods, and beverages.
History:
During
the Victorian era in Britain adulterants were quite common; for example,
cheeses were sometimes coloured with lead. Similar adulteration issues were
seen in industries in the United States until the passage of the pure food and drug
act in 1906 usage if adulterants have been common in free market societies with
few legal controls on food quality. Sometimes this usage has been extended to
exceedingly dangerous chemicals and poisons.
Examples of food adulteration: Every now and
then we are shocked by media reports of ingenious forms of adulteration of food
that we consume regularly. According to IPH (Institute of Public Health), more
than fifty percent of food samples they have tasted 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 ethylene and also
being used to colour different ifter items to attract customers. Urea
fertilizer is used while frying muri to whiten it. Cyanide is used to give
mustard oil an extra bite. Brick dust is mixed with chili powder and a poisonous
yellow colourent is mixed with turmeric powder to make it more yellow. Mangoes,
jackfruit, lychees, watermelon, pineapple, papaya, and bananas are artificially
ripened using a carcinogenic chemical called ethylene oxide. Many fish sellers spray
fish with formalin; a chemical usually used for the preservation of tissues. This
chemical is mainly used with imported fish it makes the fish stiff and keeps
the fish looking fresh for a longer duration.
How
to stop this adulteration: Food adulteration is one of the notorious social
crimes in our country. So it must be stopped immediately to save the nation.
The responsibility of maintaining food quality bites with different government
bodies like DCC, BSTI, and public health departments. They frame standards of
food products and also conduct testing. The Ministry of Fisheries and Live
Stock monitors fish and meat quality while food grains are under the Ministry
of Food. But most of the monitoring and control of food quality seems to be
with the Dhaka city corporation in the city. All these bodies of government
should be vigilant. Their supervision and monitoring activities should
efficient. The age-old ordinate Pure Food Act 1959 should be amended enhancing
the fine from 5000 to 50000. Punitive actions against the offenders should be
taken. The food items like pineapple, juice chills whole and ground, turmeric
powder, whole milk powder, white bread, biscuits, logences, etc. must be
subjected to compulsory certification, last of all people need to be conscious
about their health. They should not take whatever they get before them. They should
avoid all kinds of adulterated food.
Steps
taken by government: The government has taken many steps to stop food
adulteration and catch and punish offenders. Monitoring and supervision
activities have already been strengthened. The BSTI ordinance 1985 has been
amended to Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institution (BSTI) (Amendment). Act
2003 for consumers' protection against low-quality products. The Institute of Public
Health is formed to assist the government to prevent and control major health hazards
caused by contaminated and adulterated food and water.
Health
problems caused by food adulteration: The health effects of having such
adulterated food are serious. Health experts agree that over prolonged periods
such consumption amounts to slow poisoning. Many of these substances are cancer-causing and all most all of them have adverse effects on the digestive system
affecting the liver, heart, and other vital organs.
Conclusion:
In
a scenario, where the penalty for such crimes of adulteration is either negligible
or unenforceable and where sub-standard food has become the norm rather than the exception, the people are powerless and vulnerable. The government with enough
political will has the responsibility to bring about a change in the quality of
food and therefore of life.
