HC shows grave concern over food adulteration

Dhaka, May 9 – The High Court yesterday expressed grave concerned over the poor activity of government’s organizations in stopping food adulteration and taking legal action against the responsible persons for leading people toward death through supplying contaminated foods.
It also expressed anxiety for not withdrawal of 52 food items from the market even after these were found sub-standard by Bangladesh Standard Testing Institution (BSTI).
The HC bench also asked a director level officer of BSTI and another officer at the rank of director or same status from Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) to appear before it on next Sunday to inform the court about their activity against the 52 food products, which
were found sub-standard by BSTI.
The HC bench comprising Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil came up with the verbal order during the hearing on a writ petition filed seeking its directive on the government for taking steps to seize or withdraw from markets 52 food products.
The HC bench kept next Sunday for further hearing on the petition.
During the hearing, the HC bench wanted to know about the activity of the BSTI office bearers. BSTI is a specialized government office. It found 52 sub-standard food products after examining of these products.
But, it did not take any action against the offenders except issuing show cause notice to the offenders. BSTI authority should have seized or withdraw these products from the markets soon after getting these contaminated foods products, the HC bench said.
“They (BSTI) can leave their office if they could not take appropriate action against the offenders for the sake of public interest and their lives,” the HC bench said.
The HC bench also raised a question about the activity of BFSA regarding the matter saying that the law has given all rights to take action against the offenders. They can see everything in accordance with the law. But, what they were done. They can leave their office if they fail to take action as per the law against the offenders in accordance with the law, the HC bench noted.
Why we will see about food safety. At least one public interest litigation issue has come up before the court every week. It is the government duty to look after everything. Food items have been adulterated, people are being burned to death inside the jail, adulteration in everywhere including meat and water. Should we stay silent even after seeing these adulterations, the HC asked the deputy attorney general Mukhlesur Rahman, who represented the state during the hearing of the case.
The HC also said that it has to face criticism, if it lay down its hand to protect people rights in this regard.
The HC also raised question about the examination conducted by BSTI during the Ramadan. What is the relation of conducting examination on the food item during the Ramadan and what is the work of BSTI after Ramadan, the HC asked the government.
After seeing 52 food items, which were found sub-standard by BSTI, the HC said, “We should know from the BSTI about the latest status of these products. The people used to use and eat all these products including Rupchada, Pran company’s product. It is very unfortunate for us that our people are having sub-standard food items, the HC bench noted.
Conscious Consumers Society, a rights organization, filed the writ petition with the HC seeking its directive upon the government to withdraw or seize all 52 sub-standard food items from the markets.
The petition also sought HC order upon the government to stop production of the sub-standard food products by their companies until those are not made standard.
The organisation filed the petition as it did not get any reply to its legal notice served on May 6 for seizing or withdrawing the sub-standard food products from the markets all over the country.
Among the top companies whose products have been found substandard are Pran, Danish, Well Food, Duncan, ACI Pure, Molla Salt Industries, City Oil Mill, Bangladesh Edible Oil Ltd and Kashem Food Products Ltd.
Barrister Shihab Uddin Khan sent the legal notice on behalf of CCS saying that BSTI has reportedly found 18 substandard food items and directed 47 food manufacturers to give reason for violation of the relevant standard.
A surveillance team of the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) collected 406 samples of 27 types of popular food products in the last two months.
Among the trendy food products are Teer mustard oil of City Oil Mill, GB mustard oil of Green Bleaching Vegetable Oil Industries Ltd, Pusti mustard oil of Shamnam Vegetable Oil Industries Ltd, Rupchanda mustard oil of Bangladesh Edible Oil Ltd, Sun chips of Kashem Food Products
Ltd, Ara drinking water of Arra Food and Beverage Ltd, Al Safi Drinking Water, Mizan drinking water of Shahari and Brothers, Morn Dew drinking water of Morn Dew Pure Drinking Water Section, Duncan natural mineral water of Duncan Product Ltd., RR Dew drinking water of RR Dew Purifying Drinking, Dighi Drinking Water, Pran vermicelli of Pran Agro Ltd, Dudli noodles of New Zealand Dairy Products BD Ltd, Tasty, Tani,
Taskia soft drink powder of Shanto Food Product, Priya soft drink powder of Jahangir Food Products, Danish turmeric powder of Danish Food Ltd., Pran turmeric powder of Pran Agro Ltd, Fresh turmeric powder of Tanvir Food Products. – Staff Reporter