A high percentage of summer fruits, including mango, litchi and blackberry, selling in city markets are largely treated with toxic formalin, reveals a study.
The study, titled ‘Prevalence of Formalin in Seasonal Fruits in Markets of Dhaka’, conducted by Paribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba), found out the existence of formalin in 93.75 percent of the mango samples collected from different city markets.
All the samples of litchi and blackberry were also found out to be treated with formalin, the report says.
The study team collected 96 samples of mango, six samples of litchi and three samples of blackberry from 26 areas in the city from June 1-10 and tested those samples at the Poba office.
The study report was released at a press conference organised by Poba at the Jatiya Press Club on Tuesday.
Addressing the press conference, Poba general secretary Abdus Sobhan said the presence of formalin was found in 90 out of 96 samples of mango collected from the market. On the other hand, all of the samples of litchi and blackberry were found contaminated with formalin, he said.
Poba also tested samples of malta, apple, grape, orange and some vegetables and detected the presence of formalin, added Sobhan.
He put forward a number of recommendations, including taking legal action against the sellers and traders of formalin-treated fruits under a special power act. “The drives conducted by the mobile courts are not sufficient.”
Sobhan underscored the need for strengthening the market monitoring to control food adulteration.
Kamal Pasha Chowdhury, Hafizur Rahman Moina and Ikma Hossain were, among others, present at the press conference.
Source: UNB Connect
