It is feared that during the month of fasting, the competition among businessmen is likely to rise. Ahead of Ramadan and during, already rumours of fake and adulterated commodities have started to circulate in the capital.
According to a report, without the approval of the authorities, the production of various commodities (including adulterated food) has started in factories -- even iftar products are not spared from adulteration.
A different pattern
Every year we see that at least two weeks before Ramadan, responsible agencies of the government including BSTI, district administration, city corporation, and anti-adulterous agencies run campaigns to counter this epidemic. This year, they remained silent.
Fake and adulterated product makers have become aggressive, and just before Ramadan, numerous factories of food products were formed. Production of shemai, noodles, chilli, spices, and beans, etc have been going on in extremely unhygienic environments.
The adulteration of food has become ambiguous in our country -- the process of using chemicals on fruits while being grown trees. The fruit that we eat for nutrition ends up being poisoning us.
Health hazards
Randomly mixing adulterated products is harmful for public health. Due to the use of harmful chemicals in food products and fruits, the general mass risks loss of kidney functions, liver failure, cancer, and other diseases. In the month of Ramadan, relevant agencies must launch counterfeit anti-fake campaigns immediately to protect people from this epidemic.
Now, the market has begun to grow in the form of seasonal varieties of mango and other varieties. But there is a kind of fear among citizens who are aware of these seasonal fruits. The fear is not uncommon. Long before the fruit is matured, it is brought to the market in the hope of higher profits -- although these fruits look perfectly fine externally, its natural taste and smell drastically differ.
In addition, many children are experiencing various health problems, and will continue to do so in the long term by eating these fruits at a very high price. Several millions of people annually suffer from various types of cancer and liver disease.
Consumers are not able to find the right flavour, smell, and sweetness, because these mangoes are mostly mixed with harmful chemicals, and this also poses a health risk
Listen to the experts
In a report published in Thailand, a specialist doctor at Bumrungrad Hospital said that half of the hospital’s patients were from Bangladesh. Most of them suffered from kidney, liver, and reproductive problems.
A recent study conducted by the Ministry of Health has found that, largely, toxic food is mainly responsible for kidney and liver problems, and even heart attacks. According to the World Health Organisation and Food and Agriculture Organisation, about 4.5 million people are affected every year due to food poisoning.
From street food to the elite hotel-supermall food, even the consumption of imported food products in the country is not chemically risk-free. There has also been adulterated, unsophisticated, and unauthorised colours and chemicals used in the food served at low-tier restaurants and found by anti-adulterated criminal courts.
However, the initiative to reduce the level of harmful chemical usage in the time of monsoon may not be of any use. Last year, due to the unrealistic deadline set by the government, setbacks were seen in the form of financial loss to the farmers. The farmers’ loss has also been published in the newspapers due to their failure to market the fruits of their crop.
How sweet is your mango?
Of course, consumers are not able to find the right flavour, smell, and sweetness, because these mangoes are mostly mixed with harmful chemicals, and this also poses a health risk. Not only mangoes, many varieties of lychee are already seen in the market because there is no permanent monitoring mechanism to prevent the use of chemicals in its productions.
Occasionally, mobile courts are seen to carry out anti-fake campaigns, but they are not able to bring any change in the market situation through these operations.
Apart from this, the anti-adulterated and anti-chemical induced food campaign is rare and inadequate.
It will not be enough to run an anti-malicious campaign, but the government must also ensure strict and exemplary punishments related to adulteration of food and fruits, which cause millions of kidney, liver, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases.
We hope the government takes the steps to ensure proper food safety this Ramadan.
Rajon Shahabuddin is Deputy Secretary, BKMEA and professional member of US Green Building Council.