The country needs to stop the use of hazardous chemicals in food production and processing in order to ensure safe food for all, speakers said at a seminar yesterday.
They also urged the government to enforce the existing laws to protect food items from being adulterated and launch comprehensive campaigns to raise awareness about the consequences of taking adulterated foods.
“At present, huge amounts of chemicals in the forms of fertilisers, pesticides and preservatives are being used to produce and process food items in the country but this practice should be stopped immediately,” said Ataur Rahman Miton, general secretary of Bangladesh Safe Agro-Foods Efforts (BSAFE) Foundation, while addressing the seminar organised by the foundation at BARC (Bangladesh Agricultural Research Centre) conference room in the capital.
He also urged the government to enforce Bangladesh Safe Food Act 2013 in order to stop food adulteration practices. “There must be steps to check this huge intake of chemical substances in the food chain.”
Former BARC director (research) Dr Khalequzzaman Akand Chowdhury said farmers should be educated about the practices of producing more crops with the use of a limited amount of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
Dr FH Ansarey, executive director of ACI Agribusiness, stressed the need for disseminating information on agricultural research and techniques among the masses to help them avoid confusions about adulterated food items.
