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Adulterated powdered spices return to market

Poses serious health risk to consumers


Published : 06 Oct 2019 07:41 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 08:49 PM

Causing much worries as well as posing serious health risks to consumers people at large, adulterated powdered spices are being flooded in the markets across the country under the very nose of the authorities concerned. Unscrupulous traders are in the habit of adding sand, dirt, earth gritty matter, artificial colour, starch, chalk powder, bark, stone, saw dust, lead chromate and brick powder to the powdered spices like turmeric, chili , coriander others in order to earn windfall profit.

These unscrupulous traders have been making brisk business resorting to adulterating spices since long. The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority, City Corporations, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institute (BSTI) and Directorate of National Consumers' Right Protection conducted massive drives against adulterated food-items during the month of Ramadan.

However, after the month of Ramadan, the government organisations do not continue their drive as before, creating scopes for the unscrupulous traders to return to the markets. In the face of massive drives in capital Dhaka and different parts of the country, they refrained themselves from carrying out such immoral and illegal business.

But the adulterated powdered spices have again returned to the markets. Most often, spices like turmeric powder, chili powder, and other powdered spices contain a high percentage of residual pesticides. Preferring not to be named a trader said flour, sawdust, and even toxic chemicals for colouring are being mixed with the spice powders.

The Institute of Public Health (IPH) recently tested various food items randomly collected from different markets across the country. The government institute tasted some 5,396 samples of some 43 food-items. Of those, they found 100 percent adulteration in 13 items and on an average 60 to 90 percent adulteration was found in all those 43 items.

According to the test of IPH, Soybean oil was in the top list of adulterated food items. About 2.8 percent folic acid was found in this daily used cooking oil, whereas the tolerance level of folic acid is only 2 percent. About 78 percent adulteration was found in soybeans including folic acid and others, 56 percent in mustard oil, 32 percent in palm oil and 25 percent in coconut oil.

The remaining items have been identified with 28 percent adulteration in cumin powder, 70 per cent in chili powder, 80 percent in turmeric powder and 53 percent in coriander powder. Apart from this, the IPH found 11 percent adulteration in wheat flour, nine percent in flour, 27 percent in semolina (suji), 46 percent in biscuits, 52 percent in pea-flour (bason) and 82 percent in vermicelli.

The experts say that these adulterated spices can cause severe stomach problems and even serious diseases like gastric, ulcer and may cause cancer. Anyone can suffer from food poisoning due to consumption of extra levels of those spices. In a recent visit to the capital’s Karwan Bazar, Mohammadpur Town Hall market, Kallyanpur, Mirpur Section 6 and Manda area, this correspondent found many spice-manufacturing mills, where most of the powdered spices were adulterated.

In Karwan Bazar, about 10 mills were found where substandard spices were being made since long. Sometimes, RAB and other government organisations conduct drives against them but they do the same thing again. Apart from non-brand spices, the BSTI found powdered spices of different brands substandard.
In May this year, the BSTI detected some 12 brands of spices, mostly turmeric powder, which contained ingredients harmful to humans.

The substandard turmeric powders are the products of: Danish of Danish Food; Pran of Pran Agro, one of the biggest food processors in the country; Fresh of Meghna Group of Industries’ concern Tanvir Food; Sun of Sun Food; and Manzil Food and Products. The BSTI found coriander powder of ACI Food as well as curry powder of Pran Agro and Danish Foods substandard. Chilli powder brand of ‘Pure Hathazari’ of SS Consumer Products failed in the lab test.

In the first round of tests on 313 products, 52 had been found substandard. The BSTI later lifted the ban on some of the products that were cleared in fresh tests. In the second round of tests, the BSTI also found Radhuni Coriander and Cumin (Square Food and Beverage) substandard. Public Health expert Dr Lelin Chowdhury told The Bangladesh post, “The colours used in the textiles are not suitable for food in any way, but in our country it is used in spicy products. At first, gastric problem occur when these chemicals are absorbed in the stomach, and later it turns into cancer. The consumption of these spices leads to complex kidney diseases, including hepatitis, and long term consumption leads to death.”

He also said, “As these spices are being manufactured in an unhygienic and humid environment, which also contains bacterial and fungal germs, the consumption of powered spices may lead to indigestion, vomiting and vermes in the stomach. The danger of adulterated spices is even greater for children than adults.” Dr Lelin, also the joint general secretary of Save the Environment Movement, urged the government to take exemplary steps against the unscrupulous traders who are engaged in making substandard spices and food items.