Sanitary inspectors on Friday demanded that the government should induct them in the draft safe food law 2013 for the proper implementation of the law at the field level.
They claimed that they were the only professional degree holders in
Bangladesh for identifying food adulteration.They were speaking at a view exchange meeting organised by the Sanitary Inspectorships Welfare Association of Bangladesh held at Dhaka Reporters Unity.
The sanitary inspectors said now-a-days the type and nature of adulteration in food had changed. So more sanitary inspectors should be appointed to check food adulteration, they said.
The sanitary inspectors do a four-year professional diploma course run under the health ministry’s Institute of Health Technology.
They are responsible as prosecutor in the mobile court launched under the Pure Food Amendment 2005 to check food adulteration.
Sultan Ahmed Siddiki, secretary general of SIWAB, said coordination among the new law, BSTI and consumer rights was essential for checking food adulation properly.
In 2005, the 16-member National Food Safety Advisory Council was formed which is the highest body to check food adulteration in the country.
They claimed that no meeting was held in last eight years since the body was formed.
The leaders of the organisation also demanded creation of more than one posts for the sanitary inspector in every upazila to ensure safe food for the people.
At present there is only one sanitary inspector for every upazila in Bangladesh. The number of the post remained the same since the British period, they said.
They said it was not possible for only one sanitary inspector to prevent food adulteration and visit markets in an upazila, said leaders of SIWAB.
The experts at the programme demanded formation of a food laboratory and a food court in every district.
Lawmaker Simin Hossain Rimi said only 565 sanitary inspectors were working across the country which was not enough for the country.
She also said mobile court was not a permanent solution to this problem.
They also urged the government to introduce modern equipment and extend more technical support to them in the field level laboratories.
The government prepared the draft safe food law 2013 with provision for death penalty for adulteration in food and also for selling the product which severely affect human health.
The draft law was made public for recommendations on Thursday.
The recommendations would be received till April 27, said food minister Muhammad Abdur Razzak at the stakeholders’ meeting at the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific auditorium held on Thursday.
The law is expected to be passed in the first week of June this year.
Shheen Monowara MP was present among others at the programme.
-With New Age input
