Exemplary punishment can prevent food adulteration

 
Adulteration of foods has become a national issue. The problem is not only ignoring the human rights for safer food but also endangering public health seriously with numerous acute and chronic diseases. Our future generation will be seriously affected with vulnerable physical and mental growth inflicted by food adulteration. The issue is describing everywhere mentioning the impact of consumption of adulterated foods on human health and the roles of the concerned authorities how to eradicate it.

Food is the major source of energy in humans as well as animals. Foods are materials taken into the body by different route which provide nourishment in the form of energy or in the building of tissues. Food contaminants are substances that make food unfit for human consumption. Basic food items in the market like meat, fish, fruits, oil, vegetables, spices, bakery items and sweetmeats are being adulterated unscrupulously with hazardous chemicals. The poisonous residues in these food items are not only damaging vital human organs like liver, kidney, and heart along with affecting children's mental and physical wellbeing but also causing fatal diseases like cancer, hepatitis B.  Not only the foodstuffs, the life-saving medicines are also being adulterated.

Adulteration of food with toxic chemicals to public health has reached an epidemic in Bangladesh. The consumers and food experts have identified it as the 'silent killer'. It is very difficult to find a sector of food industry which is free from adulteration. From raw vegetable and fruits to milk and milk products to fish, meat and processed food-every food item is contaminated and life threatened. Almost every day in the news papers, newer and newer version of adulterating on different types of foods are disclosed. Carbide, formalin, heavy metal, chemical, textile colors, artificial sweeteners, DDT, urea etc. are used rampantly for this purpose.

Contamination of foods with toxic chemicals pose a serious threat to public health, especially in a country like Bangladesh where due to poor health literacy, level of awareness is very low. Immediate effect of ingestion of such foods may be severe forms of diarrhoea (food poisoning), threatening life.

In the long run, these chemicals in food adversely affect vital organs such as the liver and kidney resulting in organ failure and/or cancer and thus, untimely loss of life. Ironically, people from all walks of life is aware of the hazards of taking foods adulterated with toxic chemicals, but this knowledge is not translated into practice. There is no paucity of laws and regulations to contain adulteration of food in Bangladesh. The following food related offences are seen frequently viz fake licenses, poor quality of food, substandard infrastructure and lack of maintaining hygiene, food adulteration, food impurity, incorrect information on food packages, selling products whose date have expired etc.

We have lost our real taste in food by feeding contaminated food items. Contamination of food with toxic chemicals is a serious crime and these offenders are dealing with the consumer's life. These dishonest culprits have no feelings and nobody should allow any mercy to them. They are the real killers and killing the thousands of consumer's life in cold blood through poisonous food.

According to the Health Directorate of Bangladesh, sixty percent of the population is kidney patients. More than 4.5 million people in our country are at a health risk for consuming adulterated and contaminated food every day and worldwide more than 660 million people get sick due to consuming adulterated food while 400,000 people die every day. This shocking statistics came into light a few months ago during a human chain arranged by Safe Food and Consumer Production Movement (SFCPM), Bangladesh in front of National Press Club. SFCPM is a voluntary organization whose goal is to create mass awareness against adulteration of food and ameliorate ethics and morality among people.

Like this, various organizations are working on creating awareness against food adulteration and protecting the rights of consumers. The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection and non-profit organizations like 'Fresh Food for All' (FFA), Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB) are some of them. The government has also enacted various laws to curb food adulteration. Among these are the Consumer Rights Protection Act, Food Safety Act, and Formalin Control Act with a provision of life-term imprisonment as the maximum punishment being most notable.

However, the problem lies in its sustained and appropriate implementation by credible authority. A few years ago, Bangladesh National Food Safety Authority has been formulated to curb the food contamination but their vibrant credible functions are yet to be noticed in the field. Occasionally, the regulatory authorities will be suddenly in an active mode, and conduct mobile courts to penalize sellers/producers for selling contaminated products/foods. Then, there will be a lull for a few days and after few weeks, business becomes as usual.

It has been found in a survey that Dhaka is the main city where food contamination by various contaminants in higher percentage. This contamination is accomplished by man-made, industrial discharge, poisonous water etc. Government of Bangladesh taking various necessary steps to stop this contamination but not seriously as required to nab the culprits.

Needles to say, a High Court Bench of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh directed the Anti-Corruption Commission on February 11, 2019 to enquire about the adulteration of milk, curd and cattle feed and to take tough legal action against those found responsible. The court also directed the authorities concerned to form a committee to find whether the adulterated products and cattle feed contained lead, antibiotics, bacteria, pesticides or other elements that are harmful to the human body. The rule is very pertinent issue of such adulteration and it is responsible for damage of human health and life.

Food safety should be the first priority as it is the foremost basic need of every livelihood. Mobile court short punishment or awareness program is not enough for these culprits, they need highest capital punishment as well as life sentence or hanged to gallows in broad-day light. So, we urge the government to amend the food safely law to bring them book to justice ensuring tough punishment.


Md. Zillur Rahaman is a banker and freelance contributor