Editorial
High Court directive to set up food courts
Start implementing it
THE High Court directive to the government to set up food courts in every district and to appoint an adequate number of food analysts and inspectors within a year brings to the fore once again an issue of serious public concern. The verdict follows the submission of a petition filed by Human Rights for Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) in January this year seeking a directive from the HC regarding the setting up of a national food safety advisory council. The fact that food, or more precisely its consumption, has by now acquired grave importance is underscored by all the efforts that have gone into the movement for consumer rights in Bangladesh. Indeed, with those rights now acknowledged at the political and administrative levels, one might persuade oneself that things are finally falling into place. Such a feeling would be well-placed; and yet there remains much more to be done to ensure that the food citizens consume is safe.
In the recent past, the drive launched against adulterated foodstuff and related items by the administration, when magistrates inspected food shops and stores and penalized adulterators where necessary, drew the enthusiastic support of the public. Obviously, the drive was a tacit acknowledgement of the reality that the Bangladesh Standards Testing Institution was inadequately staffed or limited in capacity to do the work it was supposed to. The demands made on the BSTI have generally been those it has quite been unable to cope with. The result was the BSTI was mercilessly pilloried by the media over its shortcomings. In effect, therefore, the magistrates' drive against adulterated foodstuff was seen by many as light at the end of the tunnel.
The move by the High Court now regarding the setting up of food courts places the onus squarely on the government. It will be expected to follow through on the directive by appointing highly trained analysts and inspectors who will keep regular tabs on the sale of food products in the market. Adulteration of food items, particularly in restaurants and kitchen markets, has of late taken a severe turn in both urban and rural areas. Now that the judiciary has spoken, a legal framework exists for rules and regulations to be put in place to ensure the safety, purity and nutrition values of food items. The next step clearly is an implementation of the directive.
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