A parliamentary oversight panel has recommended legal measures against suppliers of commercially produced ‘alternative baby food’ in case any children die or fall ill after consuming them.
Punitive measures have been recommended in a recent Bill placed in Parliament which deals with alternative to breast milk, commercially produced supplementary food for children, and instruments to use them.
The Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, said there were no provisions before to act against the suppliers in case these types of food caused children’s death or harmed them.
It was not even clear who would be held responsible if a children was harmed having consumed these commercially produced baby food, he added.
“For this, the panel has recommended adding punitive measures including slapping fines, realising compensations and other measures as per the legal provisions enshrined in the Bill,” he told bdnews24.com on Tuesday after a meeting of the committee.
The ‘Breast-Milk Substitutes (Regulation of Marketing) Bill’ was tabled in Parliament on Jul 16 to regulate marketing of baby food products that act as ‘substitutes’ to mother’s breast milk.
It was later sent to the parliamentary committee for vetting.
The proposed law recommends banning commercials which show these alternative and supplementary foods as ‘alternative to breast milk’.
It bars offering prizes and discounts; organising rallies and seminars, holding programmes and competitions for children to encourage sale of these alternate products.
Use of images of mother or children on these products has also been prohibited under the planned regulation.
Violators will have to face three years in prison and count Tk 5,00,000 in fine. The offenders may also be punished by mobile courts.
Source: Bd news24