JANUARY 27, 2018: DAILY OBSERVER
The world’s population has been increased by 6 billion since the beginning of the 20th century. During the same period science and technology have also reached at the pick. As a result the volume of demand for foods and items of food have also increased simultaneously.
Rapid and fast modern industrialization caused severe environmental pollution. Air and water have become polluted severely. To cope with the increasing demand of food scientists have invented various Genetically Modified (GM) hybrid food which are in many cases not good for human consumption.
Decadence in moral and ethical values also persuading the greedy businessmen to make foods adulterated. Since the late 20th century there have been dramatic changes in food habit of people. Various types of fast, processed or packed food are becoming popular day by day as most of the people have become busy. People are giving more emphasis on taste rather than quality or hygiene. All of those factors are leading towards the increasing volume of adulterated and contaminated foods which is a big threat for the public health all over the world.
Bangladesh has now become the safe haven of adulterated food. In order to protect the consumer’s right Bangladesh is over burdened with around 15 laws for the safety and security of foods, but ironically foods are mostly unsafe in Bangladesh. The food safety condition in Bangladesh is at an alarming stage due to the food adulteration committed by using toxins, pesticide residues, microbiological contamination, veterinary drug residues and heavy metals.
The situation is worsening day by day. The people of our country are basically food loving. Various fast food, Chinese food and many other restaurants are increasing geometrically. Moreover, people, especially most of the floating people in big cities are being attracted to various street foods produced and processed openly and unhygienic which are carrying viruses of many severe infectious diseases. This is also causing food poisoning frequently.
A recent study shows an alarming result where it is found that many street foods- like Chatpati, Futchka, Puri, Shingara, Velpuri and various Chatni are carrying viruses of cholera, typhoid and hepatitis and many more. This is very much alarming indeed. If the government and the concerned authority do not take any effective measures, it would create a severe threat to the public health. At the same time the parents and guardians should also be conscious about the food habit of their children as well as of their own.
In most of the third world countries like Bangladesh the authority are not very much concerned or strict in ensuring food safety. Lack of conscience and unscrupulous corruption or greediness is causing a severe threat to public health. As there is no accountability or no exemplary punishment such type of crime is going on and on.
But in the modern world the authority is very much structured and the enforcement of laws against food adulteration is very much strict for ensuring safe food for human consumption. Even in India the penalties for the offences in the 1954 Act were set out and time to time considering the gravity of the issue, appropriate legislative amendments were made and the offences were categorized punishable with punishment extending up to life imprisonment.
Expressing concern over the alarming level of milk adulteration the Supreme Court of India recently formed stringent punishment of the life imprisonment for the offence which was punishable only up to six months jail term of fine.
Usually the businessmen and the retailers add adulterants to food in order to increase the bulk and reduce costs, with intent to defraud the consumer, to increase the quantity and make more profit. Through adulteration they increase the shelf life of food items, attract the consumers, increase the profit margin on the expense of the health of public or consumer.
Adulteration reduces the quality of any food and weakens the health of the consumers and subsequently increases the cost for healthcare. Regular consumption leads to many health problems from curable to incurable disorders and can ruin one’s lifestyle and life as well.
The adulterated foods both fresh and processed are nutritionally poor. Experts say use of non permitted chemicals causing a number of diseases including cancer, convulsion and miscarriage, respiratory problem, disorder of some organs of the body.
Consumption of adulterated food items may precisely cause asthma, sore throat, larynx constriction, bronchitis, skin infection, allergic reaction, diarrhea, haematuria, circulatory failure, numbness, dizziness, kidney failure, stomach, cancer, nervous disorder and other diseases.
The problem is now alarming and people are suffering from food phobia. A group of health experts and green activists found in their recent research that proportion of adulterated and fake food item in the market varied between 70 to 90 per cent.
Basic food item in the market like rice, fish, fruits, vegetables, spices, milk and milk products, sweetmeats etc. are adulterated. Infested and damaged grains, husks, sand and beads are added to increase the weight.
Edible oil, ghee, butter oil, mustard oil are adulterated with hydrogenated oil, animal fats and rep seed oil. Vanaspathi is added in ghee. Artificial sweeteners and flavours, un-permitted colours, excess colours are added to the Confectionery and bakery.
Fat is extracted from milk and water is added and synthetic milk (liquid detergent, sugar, water, vegetable fat, urea etc) is in the stores. Powder milk is adulterated with melamine. Condense milk is made by using stearin and without any element of natural milk.
The researchers also found that formalin and DDT is applied on fish to increase their shelf life, ethylene and calcium carbide on fruits for quick ripening or delay ripening, urea to whiten the puffed rice and textile dyes to beautify the sweetmeats.
Heavy metals, such as lead, chromium and arsenic accumulate in the body that might cause kidney and liver failure and develop abnormality among children. Excessive use of wheat flour in place of milk protein in the preparation of sweetmeat is an example of adulteration.
Use of carboxyl methyl (CMC) in lieu of liquid glucose or sugar syrup in the preparation of soft drinks is an example of extortion. Fruit juices are prepared by using artificial and prohibited ingredients instead of using original fruit juice.
Following the framework of an ordinance, the government established the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI). One of the import tasks of this organization is to certify the quality of commodities, materials, whether for local consumption or for export and import.
But this is very much surprising that many food products, which have passed the BSTI test, the public analyst termed them ‘adulterated’. It reveals an ostensible conflict of standard between the BSTI and the public analyst appointed under the Bangladesh Pure Food Ordinance, 1959.
Sometimes BSTI seal is used by some producers without any testing. It also reveals that deep corruption and dishonesty deteriorated the health of BSTI itself.
Sometimes we also observe random inspection of restaurants and brand shops of fast food and imposing monetary fine on them. But this is not enough at all. That might be exemplary punishment.
Their license should be cancelled temporarily. The monetary fine should be huge in amount. At the same time the corrupted person in the authority should be fired and given exemplary punishment.
Moreover, modern machinery and equipment, technology should be used for measuring standard and testing of quality of food. Strict and proper monitoring and supervision in also necessary over the institution entrusted for certifying standard of food and at the same time ensuring accountability is also necessary.
But we are hopeful that people are becoming conscious day by day. Once consumers did not care about the manufacturing and expiry date to be mentioned on the products. But now all of them are very much concerned about the quality of foods.
© Copyright: Reserved by the writer (Noore Alam Siddiqui)
