Dhaka, July 31 – The scientists of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council (BARC) didn’t find any harmful heavy metals, antibiotics and drugs in locally produced pasteurized milks.An analysis was presented by Dr Mohammad Monirul Islam, director of BARC’s Nutrition Department at the secretariat through press conference in presence of agriculture minister Dr Mohammad Abdur Razzak.
There were no heavy metals, antibiotics or sulfa drugs found in locally produced pasteurized milks including Milk Vita that put health risk, Monirul Islam said.
Disclosing the test results, he said, some 16 samples of liquid pasteurized milks were sent to a laboratory in Chennai of India to test after a controversy raised over allegedly having existence of antibiotics and heavy metals.
He said no heavy metals and sulfa drugs were found in pasteurized and non- pasteurized milks. There is no health risk to the milks produced in the country.
There is no concern on having milks, he added.
BARC has tested the milks of these companies –Milk Vita, Aarong, Farm Fresh, Igloo, RD, Savar Dairy and Pran.
“There is no health risk to intake locally produced liquid pasteurized milks of seven brands as per test result. We have tested the samples from SGS, which is reliable and acceptable across the globe,” Dr Mohammad Abdur Razzak said.
Earlier, a team led by Professor ABM Faroque, Pharmaceutical Technology Department of Dhaka University’s Biomedical Research Centre has conducted a test collecting samples on Pran, Milk Vita, Igloo, Aarong and Farm Fresh and they found presences of the health hazardous elements like antibiotics, lead and detergent.
The agriculture minister has said that there is no capacity of ICDDR’B laboratory in Bangladesh to test heavy metals, detergent and antibiotics.
“It is our failure that we are yet to setup an international standard laboratory in the country. Even, the other labs of the country have no capacity to test such metals,” Dr Mohammad Abdur Razzak said.
The minister further said the DU professor has no capacity to test such metal in their lab—so there is no scope to say their research result is true.
Agriculture ministry secretary Md Nasiruzzaman and related high officials were present at the press briefing. – Staff Reporter
