Toxic ink on the plate

The scene is familiar to anyone living in or visiting Bangladesh. At street corners, outside schools, bus stands, and train terminals, vendors dish out puri, jhalmuri, fried crispy snacks and sweets packaged in newspaper sheets. Bakeries, confectionery shops, and roadside tea stalls also use newspaper sheets to pack food. The authorities have never given the matter due attention, allowing the practice to reach such a point that it has become a norm. Behind this everyday practice lies a serious and largely ignored public health hazard that affects millions of people every single day.
Old papers should never be in contact with food. It is because the inks used in printing newspapers contain a combination of toxic elements such as lead, cadmium, chromium, mineral oils as well as other heavy metals. When hot, oily or acidic food items are placed directly on newspaper, the toxins can easily migrate into the food and thus enter the human body. As many people, especially schoolchildren and low-income groups, often consume street food, the scale of exposure is alarming.
Food safety experts have long been warning that printing inks pose carcinogenic and neurotoxic risks. Mineral oils used in newspaper inks have been proven to cause damage to the liver, hormonal imbalance and the risk of cancer. Lead metals, particularly toxic to children, affect the development of the nervous system, reduce the intelligence quotient and lead to behavioural problems. The risks are not hypothetical. There have been studies in different countries that indicate food wrapped in printed paper absorbs ink components, especially when the food is hot or contains oil and spices.
The effects of exposure to these substances are not immediate, which makes the threat even more daunting. People do not fall ill the minute they consume some food packaged in newspapers. The poisonous effects of such exposure happen slowly over a period of time and this is what is leading to an unprecedented rise in cancer, kidney ailments, digestive, hormonal, and developmental disorders in children. In a country which is struggling with a heavy disease burden and an overstretched healthcare system, preventable risks like this add unnecessary pressure.
Legal provision against this type of food contamination exists only on paper. The enforcement of the provision is weak. The Bangladesh Pure Food (Amendment) Act, 2005 and other food safety laws do not allow harmful substances to be used in handling and packing food. The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has been assigned to ensure safe food handling practices right from production to its consumption. But on the ground, looking after street food vendors to ensure proper packing is still minimal. Vendors are, at times, penalised by mobile courts if they are unhygienic, but it rarely comes to light if food is chemically poisoned through packing.
Lack of public awareness is also a significant drawback. Most vendors and consumers are not aware of the toxic nature of the inks used for printing papers. Some even feel that since the act has been done for many years, there is no harm done to the consumer.
The responsibility to end the situation does not solely rest with vendors or consumers. It is a systemic failure on the part of policymakers, regulators, municipal authorities and public health institutions. Safe food packaging alternatives must be made accessible and affordable. A proactive role can be played by municipal authorities through the provision of standardised and low-cost food-safe wraps for street vendors.
The role of the media is also important. Media campaigns, like the ones against plastic pollution or contaminated food, are necessary to educate the people on hazardous food wraps. Schools should include lessons regarding basic food safety practices, and as a result, when children become educated consumers, they tend to influence their families as well. Consumers' behaviour also matters a lot. If consumers refuse food wrapped in newspaper sheets and ask for safer packaging, vendors will change their behaviour.
Bangladesh has attained success in many aspects of health and nutrition. It will be able to address the food wrapping hazard too if all concerned get aware of the danger and perform their part of the responsibility. We need to keep in mind that safe food is no luxury and that every individual has the right to safe food.

rahmansrdk@gmail.com