HC gives govt 60 days to enforce safe food law

The High Court directed the government Sunday to enforce a law in two months through issuing a gazette notification to ensure people's right to safe food to protect public health from injurious effects of adulteration of foodstuffs, reports UNB

In order to enforce the law, as per the court order, the government has to finalise the already drafted Safe Food Act 2013.

A High Court bench comprising Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarker passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Legal Action Bangladesh Foundation.

The organisation submitted the petition on May 21 for the court directives on the government to make the law effective on an urgent basis through issuing a gazette notification, as food adulteration by use of toxic preservatives is reportedly rampant belying isolated drives.

The High Court on May 26 directed the food secretary to submit a report on the progress in making the proposed law effective.

The food secretary Sunday submitted a report to the High Court through Deputy Attorney-General Al Amin Sarker, stating that the government has prepared a draft on the safe food act for enforcing the law.