Combating chemical contamination of foods

Nowhere in the world are foods - starting from staples to vegetables, fish, meat and fruits - subjected to such indiscriminate chemical contamination and harmful treatment as these are done in this part of the world. Once again, studies have confirmed the presence of far higher levels of heavy metals and residues of pesticides in a whole range of vegetables and fruits people in the country consume almost daily or on a regular basis. Heavy metals find their way into crops if the land on which they are cultivated contains those either naturally or accumulate as a result of dumping or open discharge of solid waste or effluent from industries and factories. Rains or monsoon flooding can carry the harmful agents far and wide. Presence of pesticide residues in vegetables and fruits is the result of either excessive use of the insect killers or ignorance on the part of farmers who harvest crops before the permissible period following application of those.

With the world population increasing sharply, science had to find a way out for eliminating hunger. In the early days, even the advanced nations made a mess of agricultural practices riding on increasing growth due to excessive use of chemical fertiliser and pesticide. But gradually the overriding concern for food safety has prompted streamlining agricultural practices. Certain guidelines are inviolable for farming. Unfortunately, countries like Bangladesh started the new found agricultural methods on a wrong note. Farmers thought the more the use of fertiliser and pesticide the better. Although lately, the Department of Agriculture Extension has been teaching farmers at the field level in several areas how to decide the exact amount of water for irrigation, chemical fertilisers and pesticides for land and crops and when those should be applied, the service has yet to reach all areas of the country.

Clearly, the processes of food adulteration and contamination also vary depending on compulsion and deliberate practices driven by profit mentality. Farmers are always on the lookout for growing seasonal vegetables in advance because this ensures higher return on their produce. But at times they resort to devious practices in order to market the crops early. Even immature fruits like banana are ripened with harmful agents. Not all farmers do it but the middlemen and traders who directly procure their produce can go to any length of unethical practices in this regard. They know it well enough that contamination of agro produce and products poses a direct threat to human health but their profit mongering gets the better of their conscience.

In a situation like this, the level of awareness of the public proves to be crucial. It is not the people of this land but the world population in general prioritise convenience and immediacy over the future of the posterity. Otherwise, immediate gains and comfort people look for could be sacrificed for securing the future of the generations to come. This is why carbon emission and plastic and polythene pollution cannot be controlled. Similarly, the less advanced societies like that of Bangladesh can tolerate food adulteration and contamination. True, not all types of food contamination can be avoided but at least those can be limited to the tolerable level. To do so, a sustained awareness campaign on the need for ensuring food safety has to be launched from door to door. When people become fully aware of the danger, they will desist from all harmful practices of growing crops and producing foods.