Street foods, beverages pose health hazards

These foods and beverages may cause deadly diseases from diarrhoea to cancer if one takes these foods and beverages regularly.

"The diseases caused by the adulterated foods and beverages include cancer, kidney and liver failures, stomach troubles and other complicated problems," Dr Mohammad Soyab Nomani of Medicine Department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University told BSS.

He cautioned that the people, who drink beverages, which contain various chemicals, are the worst victims of these trash foods.

"We have to attend victims of trash beverage and foods round the year in the hospital but the number of patients increases particularly in summer seasons," he added.

One of the deadly beverages is sugarcane juice that is sold all over the year in the Dhaka city and it is very popular among the commuters.

But most of the sugarcane juice sellers are selling unclean juice and some of them mix artificial sugar and water with juice.

Sugarcane juice seller Abdul Hai said most of the sellers are selling unclean juice and they are mixing water with it for more profit. Dr Nomani said unclean and adulterated sugarcane juice may cause jaundice and other complicated diseases.

Under a WHO project BAN CWS-001, a team of the Public Health Laboratory performed a preliminary survey on street vendors in Dhaka City Corporation area in 1994.

A total of 52 samples of food collected from different street vendors of Dhaka city were examined microbiologically and chemically at Public Health Laboratory. It was found that all the samples were chemically unsatisfactory for human consumption.

Meanwhile, Consumers Association of Bangladesh (Cab) conducted a study on Street Food Vending Policies and Programmes in Bangladesh in 2004.

The Cab study said the source of 95 per cent drinking water for consumers are supplied from tap water of Wasa and 96 per cent of these unboiled waters are stored in plastic drums making the water easily contaminated.

Majority of the vendors (80%) displayed their foods in baskets or trays; only 12% used pushcarts. As much as nearly one-third (30%) did not cover their food while selling, according to the Cab study.

In the absence of laws, street vendors are doing brisk business by selling adulterated foods and beverages under extremely unhygienic conditions, posing serious threat to public health, the Cab study said.