Food adulteration has become a serious public health concern. It is of great importance to give attention to food safety now as the country has already achieved sufficiency in production. The recent situation regarding the hygienic standard of all marketable foods evidently gives us staggering statistics of adulteration. According to a survey more than 75 percent of all foods sold in the markets are in some way or the other adulterated.
Consumers in Bangladesh have been exposed to a widespread use of meat and bone meal (MBM) in poultry feed which causes antibiotic resistance and cancer. Also there has been a series of reports on use of tannery waste as poultry feed. Experts are of the opinion that consumption of tannery waste through eating fish and poultry might lead to liver and kidney diseases.
We are consuming pesticide
residues unknowingly through
our daily food intake
Experts assert that the amount of pesticide residues found in vegetables, fruits and crops pose serious health risks for the human body, especially for the children. Farmers in our country apply various types of pesticides to protect the vegetables and crops from unwanted pests.
They, however, do not follow necessary guidelines or safety standards to get rid of the pesticide residues. Therefore, necessary steps should be taken to educate farmers about the negative impact of overusing pesticides on human health and environment. Farmers must be encouraged to cultivate fruits and vegetables in an organic way. Bangladesh needs a new pesticides management law to address issues related to the unsafe use of pesticides.
Strict enforcement of hygienic practices is required to maintain the quality of foods at all levels. Last but not least, regulation on food availability, accessibility and utilization should be developed and strictly followed.
