The drive against adulterated food should continue

After all we are all consumers including food processors, marketers, restaurant and hotel owners and the staff members associated with them. A mass awareness has been created in all the tiers of the society from the cities and towns to the villages. The consumers are getting aware of their right to get nutritious, safe and hygienic food. Although there are some minor flaws like a picture in a daily of a dish of prepared food in a very well known restaurant in Gulshan showing the tails of prawns as cockroaches. For the greater benefits of the people, such minor mistakes should be ignored at this initial stage of drive. I myself, working for last four decades nationally and internationally in post harvest protection and preservation of food and technology transfer of them in commercial application, and my colleagues who are either in active service or retired, fully support the present monumental drive of the government in this food sector. As a member of the Food and Agricultural Divisional Council of the then Bangladesh Standards Institute in early 1980s I myself and my other colleagues failed to get accepted the implementation of such a drive due to lack of logistic supports.

I am closely following the government actions with all earnestness, particularly some facts that appeared in The Daily Star on September 14, 2005 concerning the Bangladesh Pure Food (Amendment) Act, 2005 to be placed in the current parliament session. As an informed scientist particularly having experience in drafting national and international standards and code of practices and close association with Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) and other international, regional and national agencies, I strongly feel that I should make some comments on the formation of the National Food Safety Council as proposed under the Food Act. Because in the proposed Council, I do not find the representation of the top most scientific organisation of the country related to the subject -- the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR). BSTI knows very well that if only one organisation is taken in the Council it should be BCSIR. The other scientific organisation to be considered is the BAEC. It's Institute of Food and Radiation Biology has well equipped laboratory -- probably the only one in the country to determine toxic pesticide residues in food. May be they are ignored as even the Ministry dealing with science is not represented. The first department of food science and technology was established in Bangladesh Agriculture University in Mymensingh. This department and the BUET should not be ignored.

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To express my feeling I should state that if I were an active scientist I would have been very upset concerning the formation of the Council without the representation of those actively involved in research and development and technology transfer in food safety, hygienic processing of and trade in food. My recommendation to the government is to make the Council as 'Policy Organ' with the representation of all the relevant ministries and organisations, including the Ministry dealing with science as envisaged in the Bill minus the DU departments. Another scientific and technical committee should be formed representing all the relevant scientific organisations and the university departments as well as trade and consumer organisations. Its role will be to advice the Council on the technical and scientific aspects of food safety, food hygiene, and food processing and food trade. The other important task that the Committee could do is to advice on the implementation of Bangladesh Standards formulated by the BSTI and international standards -- particularly those of CAC, regional standards, especially of European Commission, USFDA and standards of other incoming products.

Worldwide open trade has exposed us to a large variety of processed food in our supermarkets in cities and towns. It will be a Herculean task from BSTI to standardise all. It itself incorporates or adopts international standards such as those of CAC as our own standard. This national committee could be a great help to BSTI besides the law enforcing agencies to oversee the standards of the incoming products. Before entry of a new product on to the shelf of a supermarket BSTI should be confirmed that it was processed according to our national and international standards and the standard of the country of origin ( if acceptable to BSTI ). BSTI should consider that it is not making an unnecessary Technical Barrier to Trade (TBT). Our food exporters and importers are aware of the International Plant Protection Convention and International Phytosanitary Portal under FAO that support implementation of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement under WTO. The BSTI should carefully examine the product and ensure that the country is not going to be liable to WTO in creating unnecessary problem in TBT Agreement.

I have placed much emphasis on CAC. I feel that I should write few lines about this important international programnme. It was established in 1963 by FAO and WHO to develop food standards, guidelines, and related texts such as Code of Practice under the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standard Programme. The main purpose of the Programme are protecting health of the consumers and ensuring fare trade practices in food trade and promoting and coordinating all food standard works undertaken by the international, governmental and non-governmental organizations. When our food processing industries talk about ISO, quality control and HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) -- a concept initially developed by the food microbiologists) we welcome their implementation and BSTI also recognises these actions as they take care of a large portion of the food quality and hygiene problems. However, as a consumer I should demand that BSTI Standards, CAC Standards or other recognised Standards have been followed before the processed food is placed on my table.

We as consumers demand that the current drive should continue. People are getting aware of the government's care of their health in providing them safe and hygienic food. The government and the NGOs have also taken some actions to create awareness among the masses. The role of media is well appreciated and recognised. More campaign should be launched aiming at food processing industries, hotels, restaurants, fast food joints, food vendors, wholesale and retail marketers as well as the consumers. Both audio and visual materials should be produced aiming each target group by the government and the NGOs. Why not we ask the assistance of the international organisations such as FAO and WHO? In 1990s CAC organised an event for food vendors in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Before I conclude I should again reiterate my recommendation for constituting a National Scientific and Technical Committee representing the leading institutions and organisations on food science and technology in the country for implementation of standards and advising the Council on technical aspects. For any aspects of food processing BSTI needs the support of BCSIR, and for the determination of pesticide residues, radiation, heavy metal and trace element contamination, BSTI needs the assistance of BAEC. They should not only be used in trouble shooting, but also a part of the overall advisory system.

Dr. Mainuddin Ahmed is former Director, Institute of Food and Radiation Biology, BAEC and Professional Staff Member, Food and Environmental Protection Section, FAO/IAEA.