Although the existing laws are adequate to prevent food adulteration, the government cannot do that for lack of coordination among the ministries concerned, observed green activists on Saturday.
Addressing a roundtable at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU), they also noted that the government still lags behind in its capacity to asses the longer-term toxicity of chemically-treated foods on human health.
They urged the government for initiating a research on human body that consumed formalin and carbide-contaminated foods for a long time.
The roundtable titled ‘Toxicity in Food: Existing Laws’ was organised by Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba).
Speaking on the occasion, Poba secretary Syed Mahbubul Alam said seven ministries — Agriculture Ministry, Commerce Ministry, Food Ministry and Health Ministry and Environment Ministry — have different duties to curb food adulteration at different stages of food production and marketing as per the existing laws.
But the laws are not properly enforced as there is no harmony among actions of the ministries, Alam said.
Vice president of Doctors for Health and Environment (DHEN) Prof Shuvagoto Chowdhury recommended that the government should form a ‘Food and Drug Administration’ to address the issue of food adulteration and misuse of drugs.
The roundtable was also addressed by Kendriya Khelaghor Ashor secretary Prof Mahfuza Khanum and former adviser to WHO Mojaharul Haque.
Source: UNBConnect
