Bangladesh is over burdened with laws for safety and security of food but irony is that food is

most unsafe in Bangladesh. The food safety situation in Bangladesh is at an alarming stage
due to food adulteration, use of toxins, pesticide residues, microbiological contamination,
veterinary drug residues and heavy metals. It is paradoxical to say that the safety of food
cannot be ensured due to the dilemma of existing legal paradigm in Bangladesh. Foods are
produced for consumption, which is essential for every life to live. However, a life-saver may
become killer as is the case with food adulteration in Bangladesh. Food adulteration is a
growing problem in Bangladesh as large numbers of consumers have become victims of
consuming adulterated foods. Adulteration of food with toxic chemicals harmful to health has
reached an epidemic proportion in Bangladesh. The National Taskforce on Food Safety
reported in 2004 that diarrheal diseases resulting from the consumption of unsafe foods cause
various disabilities for 5.7 million people each year in Bangladesh (NTFS).The newspapers
have out and out conferred it, as the silent killer. It is now very difficult to find a sector of
food industry which is free of adulteration. From raw vegetable and fruits to milk and milk
products to fish, meat and processed foods every food item is contaminated. every day
newer and newer methods of adulterating newer and newer types of foods are reported. A
common practice among food vendors is to spray fish, fruits and vegetables with chemical
preservatives including formalin. Print and electronic media, different organizations and the
public have drawn the attention of the government to this dreadful threat and demanded
formulation of appropriate law and supervisory body to address the issue.
Why chemicals are used
The sellers/producers mentioned the following reasons for their use of harmful chemicals: to
make the product more lucrative (40%), to extend the products shelf life (32%), to substitute
for unavailable natural raw materials (16%), consumer demand (8%) or because the
adulterated raw materials were cheaper than natural goods (4%). Of course, attractiveness and
longevity could also be achieved using health-friendly permitted chemicals and food colours,
but these are more expensive than the hazardous chemicals currently in use. Therefore, one
could reasonably claim that such producers or sellers process foods with hazardous chemicals
simply to increase profits and to conduct business with less capital and equipment.
Present Scenario of Adulterated Foods in Bangladesh
Food safety has become a matter of great concern in Bangladesh as it is much-reported that
consumers in Bangladesh are being victimized by serious adulteration in food (Tiwari, n.d.).
These adulterations are seriously injurious to public health. Most of the food-stuffs in
Bangladesh are unsafe for consumption as from production to consumption such as, food
manufacturers, processors, restaurants, fast food outlets and so forth, all are involved in this
chain of adulteration. Adulteration of Food is occurring by using various harmful chemicals,
toxic artificial colors or additives. Unhygienic and unsafe treatment of food also renders the
food adulterated (Ali, 2013). Adulterations get its peak in Ramadan time in order to earn
quick and huge profit. It is reported that among all adulterations, grave concerns exist on
over-flooding of the local markets with adulterated and chemical poison-mixed baby foods,
vegetables, fish, meat, fruits, hotel and packed foods, adulterated and date expired life-saving
medicines (Ahmed, 2013).
Effects of Adulterated Food on Public Health
The effects of consumption of adulterated foods may be either immediate or long-term or
both. Immediate effects include food poisoning (diarrhoea) and consequently dehydration.
The long-term effects may be organ failure such as the liver and kidney, causing cancer etc.

Masud, S. (2012) claimed that There is no database in the country for these, but the recent
surge in liver and kidney failure patients in the hospitals indicates the gravity of the
deteriorating situation. (Ahmed, 2012).The following table will give some light on
adulterating elements and their harmful effects:
Adulterating Element
Appling area of foods
Long-term effects
Colouring agents chrome,
Spices, sauces, juices, lentils Cancer
tartzine and erythrosine
and oils
Rye flour
Barley, bread and wheat flour Convulsion and miscarriage
Hormone
Cauliflower
Infertility of women
Agenomato or monosodium
Chinese restaurant food items Nervous system disorder and
glutamate
depression
Urea
Puffed rice and rice
Nervous system damage and
respiratory problem
Sulphuric acid
Milk
Damage to the cardiac system
Oleomargarine or lard
Butter
Asthma and weakened kidney
function
Yellow and Sudan Red
Chili powder
Tumours and cancer
colours
DDT
Dried fish
a. Cancer
b. Productive issues
c. Neurological
Formalin
Fish, fruit, meat and milk
cancer
Poisonous colouring agents
for colouring, brightness and liver and kidney damage,
like auramine, malachile
freshness
cancer, asthma.
green, yellow G, allura red,
and sudan red
Accountable for food adulteratin:
The urge of making profit at any cost and moral degradation among food traders are the
fundamental reason of all the malpractice. Malpractice pervades at every level of food chain
starting from production to consumption. Manufacturers, farmers, processors, transporters,
middlemen, sellers - everyone is involved in the process; though their degree of involvement
varies. Most of the food adulteration occurs in the hands of middlemen in the process of
transportation and marketing.
ETHICAL ISSUE:
Food is mainly adulterated because of higher income. It is an unethical behaviour. The
problem of lack of ethics in food chain cannot be solved only by food law and standards
because people influences food safety by their behaviour, decisions, work attitude, i.e. while
buying ingredients, taking measurements, ensuring traceability, food labeling, internal audits.
Ethics should be the primary rule of all activities within food sector. (Sikora 2005)The
relation between ethics, food safety and food law is presented in Fig. 1.
Fig.
Anti-adulteration drive
The government in Bangladesh is trying to stop food adulteration. Mobile anti-adulteration
courts have been introduced to nab culprits who adulterate foods and foodstuffs. Everyday,
these courts visit some business organizations at random and punish unscrupulous business
people with penalties ranging from monetary fines to imprisonment for food adulteration. In a
single year (20042005), mobile anti-adulteration courts fined different business
organizations about 7.7 million Bangladeshi taka (Mukul, 2005). However, because of

producers/sellers lack of awareness and willingness to stop food adulteration, such efforts
were less successful than expected, for often, the same business organization has already been
fined multiple times. Although BSTI, the public health departments of city corporations, the
Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and the Ministry of Food do work to maintain food
quality, together, corrupt trading practices, unholy alliances between business communities
and administrative and law enforcement authorities.
Corruption interfaces of uncontrolled food adulteration in Bangladesh: Adulteration is
on rise because of weak monitoring, ill motives of unscrupulous traders to make quick
money, corruption in the bureaucracy and inadequate measures from the government to stop
it. A survey report of TIB found sanitary inspectors, BSTI field-level officials and custom
officials are taking bribes from retailers, restaurants and food manufacturing companies (TIB
2014).

Food safety laws and regulations and food standards in Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Pure Food Ordinance, 1959 (Bangladesh Ordinance No. LXVIII of 1959)
The Bangladesh Pure Food (Amendment) Act, 2005
The Bangladesh Pure Food Rules, 1967
Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution Ordinance, 1985 (XXXVII of 1985)
Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (Amendment) Act, 2003
The Food Grain Supply (Prevention of Prejudicial Activity) Ordinance, 1956
The Essential Commodity Act, 1990
The Iodine Deficiency Disorder Prevention Act, 1989
The Animals Slaughter (Restriction) and Meat Control (Amendment) Ordinance, 1983
Fish and Fish Products (Inspection and Quality Control) Ordinance, 1983
Fish and Fish Products (Inspection and Quality Control) Rules, 1997
The Radiation Protection Act, 1987
Destructive Insects and Pests Rules, 1966 (Plant Quarantine) amended up to 1989
The Pesticide Ordinance, 1971 and The Pesticide Rules, 1985
Agricultural Produce Markets Regulation Act, 1964 (revised in 1985)

Fish Protection & Conservation Act, 1950 (latest amendment in 1995)

Marine Fisheries Ordinance, 1983 and Marine Fisheries Rules, 1983
The Special Powers Act, 1974
Agricultural Products Market Act, 1950 (revised in 1985)
Recommendations
Against the above strategic future moves, a set of specific recommendations may be made.
These
are as follows:
Alternative methods, mostly indigenous traditional methods may be made popular in
place of use of pesticides and preservatives
Lack of awareness is observed both among consumers and producers. Often certain
demand of consumers does not match the price they are ready to pay for that commodity,
which creates room for adulterated food.
Awareness of health hazards of this kind of chemicals must be raised.
Mobile laboratories are necessary to monitor implementation of food safety laws
which
should be preceded by scientifically based and globally applicable standards.

Awareness-building campaign among consumers must be carried on

Fair price of farmers should be guaranteed to stop their unethical practices
Ethical practices among the business community with active involvement of the business leaders must
be promoted

Conclusion
The situation in Bangladesh has reached a point at which finding
unadulterated foods is difficult (Ahmed, 2005). Such adulteration
imperils the public health of Bengalese (Barua, 2005). Consumers
in Bangladesh are at the mercy of unscrupulous producers and
sellers. Although laws and government initiatives exist to eradicate
food adulteration, the government is unable to enforce these laws
or eliminate corrupt practices and alliances. Better law enforcement
and scientific food testing is needed along with current
efforts to harmonize global food safety legislation (see http://
www.globalharmonization.org/about.htm). The government of
Bangladesh cannot ignore the need for a permanent solution to
safeguard consumer rights. It should take various actions and
develop programmes to boost consumer and especially seller/
producer awareness of the harmful effects of hazardous chemicals
on both consumers and sellers.