Combating food adulteration

Food encompasses cereals, starchy tubers, meat and fish, pulses, vegetables, fruits, eggs, milk and milk products, fats and oils, and flavourings and stimulants. According to the Pure Food Ordinance, 1959 "food means any article used as food or drink for human consumption, other than water or drug, and includes ice and aerated water, and any substance which is intended for use in the composition or preparation of food; any flavouring matter or any spice or condiment; and any colouring matter intended for use in food."

"Adulteration" according to Chambers 21st Century Dictionary (1996) means "debasing something or rendering it impure by mixing it with something inferior or harmful." Anyway, food adulteration is the act of adding or mixing something inferior, harmful, useless, and unnecessary substances to food. Adulteration of food and foodstuff is not new in this country. But the problem has aggravated in the recent years at every stage from production to marketing.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Excessive and improper use of pesticide chemicals for the production of food in the categories of cereals, starchy tubers, pulses, and vegetables has already invited criticism and challenge. People are concerned about the effects of the pesticide chemicals on human health, wildlife, and the environment. Banglapedia writes that a survey conducted a few years back by the World Health Organisation has revealed that at least half a million people are affected annually due to insecticide poison in the developing countries, about 10,000 deaths occur as a result. Undoubtedly a sizeable portion of this figure falls to the share of Bangladesh.

The problem of food adulteration has, however, reached an alarming stage at marketing level. Hardly any category of food, whether cereal, vegetables, fish or meat, milk or milk products, fruits, pulses, fats and oils, is available in the markets unadulterated.

The areas of concern for the public health scientists, members of medical profession, Consumers' Association of Bangladesh (CAB), and civil society members include: (a) using urea fertilizer and artificial colour for processing rice to make it whiter and colourful; (b) spraying harmful and spurious chemicals on fruits for early ripening, increasing shelf-life, and providing attractive gloss on the skin; (c) colouring vegetables with harmful dyes for giving a look of freshness; (d) using formalin, a chemical used by the medical students to prevent dead bodies from degrading, in fish to make them appear fresh; (e) artificial colouring of pulses; (f) adulterating milk and milk products including sweetmeat; and (g) adulterating aerated water.

The public health scientists and members of the medical profession have warned that if the alarming situation of food adulteration is not checked, people's health will be at stake, and particularly the country's future generation will suffer from many complicated diseases and in the long run they may get intellectually disabled.

There are laws to ensure supply of safe food and foodstuff for protection and preservation of public health. The Pure Food Ordinance, 1959, is intended to curb and remedy the evil of food adulteration. It is deemed to serve an important role in securing to the citizens a minimum degree of purity in the articles of food and thereby protecting and preserving public health. The ordinance, inter alia, defines food, explains the circumstances under which an article of food shall be deemed to be adulterated, prohibits manufacture or sale of food not of proper nature, substance or quality, prohibits manufacture or sale of anything similar to or resembling an article of food, prohibits keeping adulterants in places where food is manufactured or sold, prohibits sale of diseased and unwholesome food intended for human consumption, prohibits use of false labels, prohibits false advertisements, and authorises entry into premises and seizure of food believed to be adulterated by an authorised person or inspector. The ordinance also prescribes penalties for contravention of any of its provisions.

The Pure Food Rules, 1967, contains the details for the purpose of carrying out the objectives of the Pure Food Ordinance, 1959.

The Cantonments Pure Food Act, 1966, and the Cantonment Pure Food Rules,1967, aim at preventing the adulteration of food in cantonments.

The Pesticide Ordinance, 1971, including the amendments of 1980 and 1983 and the rules made thereunder in 1985 aim at regulating the import, manufacture, distribution, sale and use of pesticide chemicals. Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute (BSTI) Ordinance, 1985, and the rules made thereunder, relate to the testing and quality control of certain industrial and commercial products including food and drinks.

Section 25C of the Special Powers Act, 1974, prescribes penalties for adulteration of, or sale of adulterated food, drink, drugs, or cosmetics.

The reasons for widespread adulteration of food and foodstuff in the country may be identified as follows:

First, a number of organisations such as health department, food department, BSTI, city corporations, municipalities, police department, etc. are responsible, severally and collectively, for the enforcement of food laws. But there is a lack of effective coordination among them. There even exists confusion among them regarding certain action(s) to be taken to combat adulteration of food. A report published in The Daily Star of March 13, 2004, regarding the use of formalin in fish showed that top officials of the Ministry of Health, Dhaka City Corporation, Public Health Laboratory, and BSTI pointed fingers at one another, no-one knowing which body should combat the practice of using formalin in fish.

Second, food laws mentioned above have become inadequate to cope with the advanced techniques of food adulteration. So, these laws have to be updated keeping in view the prevailing circumstances of adulteration.

Third, as far as it is known, there is no coordinating body in the government to oversee and monitor the enforcement of food laws by different organisations under different ministries.

Fourth, adulteration of food affects people at all strata of the society. But political parties in the country are not normally seen raising their voice for combating food adulteration problem. Further, the rules of procedure (ROP) of parliament contain provision for discussing matters of public interest in the House. But hardly any discussion on this matter of general public interest takes place in parliament.

Fifth, the common people of the country are not conscious about the disastrous effects of adulterated food and foodstuff on human health. The traders, both wholesalers and retailers, face no resistance from the relevant government agencies and the people in the operation of their unholy business.

The public health scientists, the agricultural scientists, the CAB and the civil society leaders have come out with their views and suggestions to combat the food adulteration problem in the country. These include:

*Since the continued use of chemical pesticides has been a matter of growing public concern for their effects on human health, wildlife, and the environment, steps should be taken to reduce chemical pesticide use in favour of integrated pest management, biological controls, and plant breeding for inherent pest resistance.

*Chemicals sprayed on fruits and vegetables should be tested in properly equipped laboratories to ascertain the ingredients injurious to human health. An expert committee should closely monitor the results of these tests. Follow up action(s) should be taken on the recommendations of the expert committee.

* Food laws have not only to be updated keeping in view the prevailing circumstances of food adulteration, but their strict enforcement has to be ensured.

* A high-powered coordinating body in the government may be established to oversee the enforcement of food laws and government policies in this regard.

* Political parties should raise their voice, both inside and outside the parliament for combating the food adulteration problem.

*The CAB and the civil society leaders have been demanding enactment of an act for protecting the rights of the consumers. It is learnt the draft law is awaiting approval of the cabinet. Since the proposed law will have impact on the rich and the poor, the government may solicit the opinion of the people and the media by disclosing the draft law to the print media. This will help the cabinet in according approval in principle to the draft law. Our lawmakers may also be benefited from the public opinion in the passage of the law.

*Public awareness about the hazardous effects of consumption of adulterated food has to be built. The consumers, particularly the rich consumers, should restrain themselves from the buying spree. This will act as a silent resistance to the unscrupulous traders' business.

M. Abdul Latif Mondal is a former Secretary, Ministry of Food.