On relentless war against food-front criminals

It is good to observe that the municipal authorities in Dhaka and other divisional cities have initiated a drive against manufacturing, marketing and selling of adulterated food products. The launch has though been on a random scale it has by now received support and commendation of the consuming public. Co incidentally, such preventive and punitive legal intervention with the aid and assistance of the magistracy and law enforcing agencies have put psychological embargo on others who are yet to be intercepted. Somehow the association of the manufactures, suppliers and dispensers of the food products has been won over by some crude members which resulted into a 2-day hartal in 'protest', allegedly on some grounds of excesses on the part of intervening teams.

In fact, it was beyond the imagination of the common people the magnitude of adulteration freely practiced in food products. Only after commencement of raid against such adulterants we could realise the vastness of public health hazards and the unfiltered crime being perpetrated by many dishonest traders. Actually, before launching of the raid some of the newspapers had catered reports on contaminant food products, snacks etc, rotten fish dipped in poisonous formaline, selling of dead poultry meat, chemically ripened mangoes to the unsuspecting consumers. Yet those reports were not heeded to. The traders continued with their dirty and insidious gamble with human lives. The raid brought to surface many instances of such unabated mischiefs rendering the children and people of all ages veritable hostage to their criminal acts. They are literally selling poison for human consumption and as an inevitable consequence the hapless consumers are suffering from different diseases with umpteen complications and threats to life.

From the raids launched against adulteration we have enough revelation to affirm that there is hardly any food product in the market which can be considered safe for public health. There is no scope to be assured of absolutely pure products from any outlets irrespective of their social and popular standing. The restaurants, mostly for the commoners, reportedly cater of dead fowls, rotten fish, use frequently burnt mobil for cooking. Other edible oils, ghee, butter oil etc are not free from contamination. Iodized salt has no iodine content, fruit juices are full of poisonous hues and without any existence of fruit claimed on the package, date expired ice-creams are being used for new ones. The picture so far available is a very insignificant part of an abhorring ghastly totality. And that has turned out to be enough to shatter the confidence of consumers.

As very usual in such cases, the traders, home-based producers and suppliers, devoid of health ethics, have expressed their resentment against such sudden raids. Like the illegal occupiers of public property during eviction, they too branded the lawful intervention as 'harassment'. Some even resented the raid being without 'prior notice' (!). So, at the first instance, they had a two-day strike on last Wednesday and Thursday (3-4 August) followed by a mass rally. They have also asked for 'redress' against the alleged 'harassment' failing which they would put up agitational programmes successively. Curiously enough none of their leaders could, till now, specify any instance which could be construed to have been 'harassment' in their words. Still then the general members of the public have had no difficulty to understand where the shoe pricked.

Their right to protest the apparently imaginary 'harassment' has invoked large scale public condemnation. It was reasonably contended that instead of putting down their shutters for 48 hours they could wash out the ugliest part of their rendezvous with adulteration. And they could start afresh upholding the desired moral values so as not to use the ignominous death traps for their brethren and fellow citizens, the children and the consumers at large. The two-day strike had, on the other hand, reflected more visibly their brazen faces and mental upkeeping to mint money. It is yet to be known if they will someday ask for a legalised 'right' to adulterate.

The conscience of the whole nation must have been wondering whether it shall continue to be the destiny of the people of Bangladesh to see for long the whole health system of the country kept in perpetual jeopardy rearing within their ill-fed stomach complicated diseases and to die in harness. The long list of adulterated food items is enough to suggest that the diabolic demons have already extended their long hands down to the root of the system. Such a vicious onslaught, if allowed to continue, will very soon lead to a limping, diseased generation incapable of ever severing its dependence on hospitals. And that's how one can imagine the severely ripped health fabric in the coming decades.

To forestall such a catastrophic scenario the present preventive and punitive measures must continue as long as it is needed. The strength of BSTI must be expanded all over the country to effectively monitor the situation continuously with provisions for follow-up actions. Parallel to that the public health department of the government must also launch mass awareness programmes and publicity so that the dishonest traders of food products can be kept under continuous mental and moral pressure so as to refrain from the evil practice of adulteration. The government can also arrange periodic motivational programmes for the traders and issue documentary guidelines with legal provisions for their strict adherence. The welcome and wholesome augury set in by the city corporation must not be abandoned halfway. Let it reach its complete goal to save the citizens.

Kazi Alauddin Ahmed is an industrial consultant.