Theatre artistes, performers, playwrights, directors and producers demanded measures to ensure the supply of adulteration-free and safe food to protect people from serious health hazards.
The cultural activists under the banner of the Movement for Food Safety, presented their demand forming a human chain at Karwan Bazar in the capital yesterday.
“Adulterated food have flooded the country. A section of unscrupulous traders mix various chemicals, including formalin and carbide, in fruits, vegetables and fish to do quick business,” said Mamunur Rashid, a theatre artiste, playwright and director. Chemically enhanced food have adverse effects on the human body, said the popular actor.
“Businessmen can do anything they want just to earn huge profit as they have a liaison with influential politicians,” he said.
He said some food companies were involved with food adulteration and even a few pharmaceutical companies were also adulterating medicine, but there were no exemplary punishment to stop this practice.
“We would like to congratulate the Dhaka Metropolitan Police as it has set up check posts at the several points of the capital to stop the entrance of chemically-mixed food into the city.”
But, it is not a permanent solution to check fruits adulteration. Authorities concerned should take initiatives to stop this at its roots, where growers put chemicals in fruits.
He said mango growers of Chapainawabganj and Rajshahi spray chemicals when flowers of the fruits started blooming.
Artiste Mohammad Bari said: “Access to safe food is a right of consumers, but people are being deprived of their rights. Food adulteration and mixing chemicals in food is present in almost all food items.”
“Due to a widespread in adulterated food in market, we are fear feeding our children,” he added.
Artiste Momena Chowdhury said: “Unless the government takes proper and effective steps, hopeless people have no option, but to consume toxic chemically-treated food.”
About the Movement for Food Safety, she said: “It is a social not political platform. So we are urging everyone to join the platform to raise their voice against food adulteration.”
Khalilur Rahman, former general secretary of Consumers’ Association of Bangladesh, demanded the government move to ensure safe food, more stringent punishment against dishonest traders and to launch raids at food factories and warehouses by formulating anti-adulteration teams.
