What people are eating?
Sunday, 13 July 2008
THE people are being exposed to serious health hazards. Dangerous and even carcinogenic substances in food continue to be sold by outlets and food chains due to shocking negligence of the health and other authorities, who ought to regulate the sector. Once upon a time, our people used to eat fresh foods. But no longer. Knowingly or unknowingly, they are taking food which is silently and slowly harming them.
A daily newspaper highlighted last year the pervasive use of formalin in fish, sold in the kitchen markets of the city. Everywhere in the country the use of formalin has been persisting though it is considered dangerous to human health. To stop the use of formalin some action was taken. But it was discontinued.
The media also reportedly how vegetables and fruits are treated using toxic substances. For example, all fruits are prematurely or artificially ripened by using calcium carbide, a highly toxic product. Pesticides are sprayed liberally on fruits and vegetables in the growing stages. While the spraying protects them from pests, the sprayed fruits and vegetables become dangerous for humans. Traces of the pesticides remain in the fruits and vegetables for months. Consumption of such fruits and vegetables can mean inviting cancer and other deadly diseases.
It is time to stop these deadly practices. The government should take swift and comprehensive action against all such wrong doings without wasting time. Like the mobile courts against food adulteration initiated earlier by the last elected government, a similar drive is needed right now. The offenders need to be penalised with heavy fines or rigorous imprisonment. It would act as a deterrent against the crime.
Kazim Reza
Twin Tower
Shantinagar, Dhaka
A daily newspaper highlighted last year the pervasive use of formalin in fish, sold in the kitchen markets of the city. Everywhere in the country the use of formalin has been persisting though it is considered dangerous to human health. To stop the use of formalin some action was taken. But it was discontinued.
The media also reportedly how vegetables and fruits are treated using toxic substances. For example, all fruits are prematurely or artificially ripened by using calcium carbide, a highly toxic product. Pesticides are sprayed liberally on fruits and vegetables in the growing stages. While the spraying protects them from pests, the sprayed fruits and vegetables become dangerous for humans. Traces of the pesticides remain in the fruits and vegetables for months. Consumption of such fruits and vegetables can mean inviting cancer and other deadly diseases.
It is time to stop these deadly practices. The government should take swift and comprehensive action against all such wrong doings without wasting time. Like the mobile courts against food adulteration initiated earlier by the last elected government, a similar drive is needed right now. The offenders need to be penalised with heavy fines or rigorous imprisonment. It would act as a deterrent against the crime.
Kazim Reza
Twin Tower
Shantinagar, Dhaka