At long last a bill preventing the indiscriminate abuse of formalin, a hazardous chemical, in food items has been passed. It was a welcome decision, although belated, and the government deserves genuine appreciation for the move. The Formalin Control Bill is finally through with provision for tough legal actions against violators. It prohibits import, production, transportation, storage, sale and use of formalin without valid license. Anybody violating the provisions laid down in the bill, may be awarded jail terms up to life imprisonment and a maximum fine of Tk 2.0 millions. The bill also states that persons issued licences shall be legally bound to produce the same as and when required by the authority. Violation of terms of the licence shall be liable to a maximum of seven years imprisonment and a fine of Tk 0.5 million. Anybody using formalin without licence, shall be subject to jail term from 6 months to 2 years and a financial penalty between Tk100,000 to Tk 300,000.
Hazardous formalin was being used on food items for a long time in an unrestrained manner and since there was no legal provision to penalize abuse of formalin, the government was left with no other choice but to enact laws to limit its use. In addition, consumer rights law did not provide enough legal power for the consumers. As a result, unscrupulous traders continued unabated to apply formalin in fruits, vegetables and meat presumably to give them a longer shelf life and thus mint higher profit. The customers had no choice but to buy those poisonous items for their survival.
Against the backdrop of heartless traders making money illegally at the cost of innocent people and in absence of proper laws to bring them to justice, introduction of the Formalin Control Bill brought some fresh air in the otherwise suffocating environment. But we shall have to wait and see how the dishonest businessmen using formalin on food stuff and violating the law are brought to justice according to provisions of the bill. People of the country look forward with great expectations to seeing effective enforcement of the law so that they do not have to take food stuffs contaminated with hazardous chemical formalin and fall victims to deadly diseases affecting kidney, liver, and stomach.
Apart from formalin there are other hazardous materials also which are applied on items like milk, fish, meat, vegetables and spices in similar fashion. The matter should be investigated into by the authorities and similar prohibitive and restrictive regulations should be in place to eradicate abuse of these materials also.
Over the years, scores of fine laws have been enacted. But sadly, with passage of time, most of those laws existed on paper only. More importantly, people in charge of enforcing the laws, were either reluctant or involved in violation of the same themselves. It is therefore imperative that the laws were enforced in letter and spirit. A positive role of the law enforcing agencies is expected in eradicating continued abuse of formalin. The media should also play an important role by launching campaigns highlighting the significance of the law in ensuring pure and unadulterated food items for the people. At the same time, people from all walks of life should be conscious about effective enforcement of the law. This will ensure food security on the one hand and health safety on the other, reflecting the ideal situation of a modern welfare nation.
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