Chinese contaminated baby food
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
THE death of a number of children due to consumption of melamine-contaminated baby food in China recently has raised grave concern among the people and the government of that country. The concern has not remained confined to the territorial limits of China alone and it has traveled to many other countries importing Chinese baby food. Bangladesh has reasons to be worried more than any other country because of its lax monitoring of import and marketing of food items, including baby food. For instance when the news about Chinese baby food scam hit news headlines across the globe, the Bangladesh Standards & Testing Institution - BSTI - disclaim having registered any baby food items of Chinese origin. But mobile courts while working to locate contaminated baby food in the market later detected, at least, a dozen brands of baby food, including a couple from China, which were imported without proper registration. There could be many more. Who knows? Meanwhile, the BSTI has collected samples of Cadbury's chocolate from the market for laboratory test following reports about the presence of melamine in it.
As a matter of tradition, the government has suddenly woken up to the issue of Chinese contaminated baby food and is trying to be tough against offenders. The health and family planning adviser last week at a press briefing told newsmen that the government was incorporating tough provisions in the Breast Milk Substitutes Ordinance, 1984 and initiating necessary administrative measures to stop import and marketing of contaminated baby food. The deputy commissioners have been instructed to ensure strict market monitoring and enforcement of the provisions of the related laws to stop sale of contaminated baby food. The latest steps, though well intended, are not enough to build confidence among the consumers, particularly when local producers and vendors are, allegedly, contaminating food items by mixing various chemicals, including formalin, carbide and other toxic chemicals. The government, on occasions, swings into action following the media focus on food adulteration. But most of the time the unscrupulous manufacturers and traders continue with their evil act of food adulteration as the anti-adulteration drives fizzle out.
It is hard to believe that that the measures announced by the health and family planning adviser would help stop either import or marketing of contaminated baby foods in the country. No food item is supposed to enter the country without the clearance from the BSTI. How could then more than a dozen baby food brands enter the country without such clearance? The Customs has to give a satisfactory reply to this question. Then again, the BSTI, which is mandated to conduct laboratory tests on imported as well as locally produced goods, is entrusted with the responsibility of locating adulterated and substandard goods in the market and punish the offenders concerned. The people are not ready to accept the pleas of its top officials for not being able to take strong deterrent actions against the offenders for reasons of dearth of manpower, equipment and logistics. Actually, laws and rules are galore in Bangladesh. But their lax enforcement has emboldened unscrupulous manufacturers and traders to play with the life of consumers. To stop the entry of contaminated as well adulterated food items in the domestic market, there should be a coordinated and sustained move on the part of ministries of health, home, industry, finance and commerce. They should all act in a concerted manner to beef up the capacity of the agencies responsible for testing and screening of food items and ensuring constant vigilance against production and entry of contaminated and adulterated food items in the market. It is better to have appropriate and effective preventive measures in place than talking tough when the problem is already there.
As a matter of tradition, the government has suddenly woken up to the issue of Chinese contaminated baby food and is trying to be tough against offenders. The health and family planning adviser last week at a press briefing told newsmen that the government was incorporating tough provisions in the Breast Milk Substitutes Ordinance, 1984 and initiating necessary administrative measures to stop import and marketing of contaminated baby food. The deputy commissioners have been instructed to ensure strict market monitoring and enforcement of the provisions of the related laws to stop sale of contaminated baby food. The latest steps, though well intended, are not enough to build confidence among the consumers, particularly when local producers and vendors are, allegedly, contaminating food items by mixing various chemicals, including formalin, carbide and other toxic chemicals. The government, on occasions, swings into action following the media focus on food adulteration. But most of the time the unscrupulous manufacturers and traders continue with their evil act of food adulteration as the anti-adulteration drives fizzle out.
It is hard to believe that that the measures announced by the health and family planning adviser would help stop either import or marketing of contaminated baby foods in the country. No food item is supposed to enter the country without the clearance from the BSTI. How could then more than a dozen baby food brands enter the country without such clearance? The Customs has to give a satisfactory reply to this question. Then again, the BSTI, which is mandated to conduct laboratory tests on imported as well as locally produced goods, is entrusted with the responsibility of locating adulterated and substandard goods in the market and punish the offenders concerned. The people are not ready to accept the pleas of its top officials for not being able to take strong deterrent actions against the offenders for reasons of dearth of manpower, equipment and logistics. Actually, laws and rules are galore in Bangladesh. But their lax enforcement has emboldened unscrupulous manufacturers and traders to play with the life of consumers. To stop the entry of contaminated as well adulterated food items in the domestic market, there should be a coordinated and sustained move on the part of ministries of health, home, industry, finance and commerce. They should all act in a concerted manner to beef up the capacity of the agencies responsible for testing and screening of food items and ensuring constant vigilance against production and entry of contaminated and adulterated food items in the market. It is better to have appropriate and effective preventive measures in place than talking tough when the problem is already there.