In absence of a national food control system, two-thirds of the total food items hit the market without any quality check, according to facts revealed at a discussion organised by The Daily Star and RDRS Bangladesh yesterday.
Some 150 food items that include everything from rice to fish, vegetable to meat and from edible oil to baby food are available on the market.
But Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), the sole quality certification authority in the country, is mandated to monitor only 60 packaged items.
Rules do not permit BSTI to check any unpackaged food items such as fruits, vegetables, meat and fish.
“We’re all taking poison every day,” Capt (retd) Mujibur Rahman Fakir, state minister for health and family welfare, told the discussion titled “Hazard of Food Contamination in National Life.”
Held at The Daily Star office in the capital, the programme was attended by food experts, government officials and policymakers, among others.
“Time has come to form a parliamentary standing committee to constantly ensure safe food,” he added.
BSTI says it is impossible for them to monitor all the food items with only 48 inspectors to cover the country of over 14 million people.
In the capital, only 10 mobile courts comprising officials of BSTI, Dhaka City Corporation and Rapid Action Battalion operate to check food adulteration.
Only 13 BSTI inspectors are posted to check food contamination in Dhaka, home to an estimated 13 million people.
Officials say the job is very difficult, as they have hardly any idea as to how many toxic chemicals are used in the country.
“We’re very poorly equipped,” BSTI Director Syed Humayun Kabir told the discussion. “About 80 percent food items are outside of the purview of BSTI.”
According to him, it is not a matter to be dealt only by the BSTI. It is not possible either. The menace has to be addressed at the national level before it devastates the nation.
Although food graded additives and preservatives are available on the market, traders in Bangladesh prefer cheaper toxics, experts say.
BSTI has some 300 technologists countrywide in its laboratories located only in the divisional headquarters. Also, the body cannot conduct drives on its own for not having the power of magistracy.
As the discussants, 11 of them lawmakers, shared their experience about food adulteration, an awestruck audience heard them say that almost every food item is contaminated with toxics capable of causing diseases from allergy to cancer.
“It’s better to die starving than to dye from cancer by taking adulterated food,” said lawmaker Monoranjan Shill Gopal.
The speakers recommended for making tougher laws and ensuring their strict implementation, media attention on the issue, media policy not to run advertising of food items without having their quality certificates, training of health workers, making necessary equipment available to conduct tests and including lesson on food adulteration in the textbook.
DCC Magistrate Khalil Ahmed said there should be more magistrates and health inspectors, and that the laboratories should be modernised.
“We can’t detect chemicals other than formalin, as we don’t have necessary kits,” Khalil added.
Rab Executive Magistrate AHM Anwar Pasha stressed on the need for educating the consumers as to how they can identify contaminated food.
Meher Afroze Chumki, chairman of parliamentary standing committee on women and children affairs ministry, said the National Food Safety Advisory Council (NFSAC) should come up with a long term plan to ensure toxic-free food.
Interestingly, many lawmakers attending the programme have no idea about the body established in 2005 under Bangladesh Pure Food Ordinance.
Since its formation, NFSAC held only three meetings.
Lawmaker Prof Md Shah Alam, also a member of parliamentary standing committee on education ministry, attached the highest importance on creating awareness to stop food adulteration.
Lawmaker Prof MA Mannan said water contamination should be stopped to ensure pure drinking water.
According to Mokbul Hossain, a member of parliamentary standing committee on fisheries and livestock, everybody is a victim of food contamination.
Lawmaker Farida Akhtar Hira stressed on the need for improving communication system. She opined traders will use fewer toxic chemicals in fruits and vegetables if they can transport those faster.
Narayan Chandra Chanda, member of parliamentary standing committee on food and disaster management, recommended forming an inter-ministerial committee to protect public health.
Matiur Rahman, member of parliamentary standing committee on health and family planning ministry, said BSTI should prepare a list of healthy food and distribute it among the consumers.
The discussion was also attended by RDRS Executive Director Selima Rahman, Dhaka Medical College Hospital Associate Professor Golam Kibria Khan, lawmaker Rebecca Momin and The Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam.
“Eating all these contaminated food, even dead bodies will not rot in grave,” said lawmaker Sultana Bulbul, quoting her class-I granddaughter who was making fun with her the other day.
-With The Daily Star input
