Food safety

Food adulteration has become so rampant in the country that we always feel scared while eating anything. The media often inform us that dangerous chemicals are being used in this or that food item.

I was shocked to learn that even the puffed rice ('Muri') is not free from adulteration as dishonest traders mix the bleaching agent hydrose with it. The chemical is used in the textile industry. They mix it with puffed rice to make it look whiter and shinier. The consumers are unknowingly eating chemical-laden foods. Children, older people and women especially are highly susceptible to these foods.

We have organisations like the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), which is supposed to ensure the quality of foods. But what they are doing becomes evident with the food market getting flooded with adulterated foods. We may be edging towards a great health-related disaster, if we do not take urgent steps to change the situation.

I hope the government will take a stern action against the syndicates engaged in adulteration and devise a strategy for ensuring quality foods so that the people could stay safe from hazardous chemicals.

Faisal Hossain

Mohakhali, Dhaka

sohelhara@hotmail.com