Different environmental organisations have demanded regular test of all food and beverages and release of the test results in order to ensure safe food in the country in the interest of public health and to increase export.
A total of 14 organisations, Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba), made the demand at a human chain. The human chain was formed in front of the National Museum demanding to ensure safe food in the interest of public health and to increase exports at the initiative of 14 organisations including Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba), Nagorik Odhikar Songrokkhon Forum (NASOF) and Bangladesh Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK) on Saturday.
The speakers at the human chain said that although Bangladesh is a small and disaster-prone country, it has now moved closer to the world's leading countries in the production of paddy, fish and vegetables Despite the huge demand for organic agricultural products due to conventional and almost unregulated chemical fertilizer and pesticide-based production and marketing management, the production and market of organic agriculture are not growing according to expectation.
They said that extensive misuse of pesticides in crops and excessive use of fertilizers are contaminating food. Toxic chemicals are being found in almost all foods and beverages.
One and a half lakh people are diagnosed with cancer every year in the country. Every year 2 lakh 77 thousand people die of heart disease in Bangladesh.
Experts believe that one of the causes of such diseases and deaths is the presence of toxic chemicals in food and drink. As a result, public health is under serious threat.
Theymade some demands to the government to ensure safe food.
According to their demand,all food and beverages should be tested on a regular basis and the results should be made public; anti-adulteration campaigns need to be strengthened andfood production needs to be monitored directly at the field level including the city’s shopping malls; soil and water pollution must be stopped to ensure safe food; the use and sale of pesticides and chemicals should be banned in the country and the quality of food in each union should be checked regularly and the people should be informed.
They also demanded that proper implementation and promotion of Food Safety Act 2013 should be carried out; in order to produce safe food, the allocation of national budget should be specifically increased; in order to deal with disasters and climate crises, multi-dimensional regional consumption of food needs to be increased by emphasizing the characteristics of the country's regions and crop varieties; the food and environment of other living beings and species cannot be destroyed by producing food for human beings and initiatives should be taken to increase the country's prestige in the world by earning foreign exchange by exporting safe food after meeting the country's demand.
The event was chaired by MdHafizur Rahman Moyna, president of NASOF, and moderated by MA Waheed, secretary of Poba.
Abu Naser Khan, chairman of Poba, Engr. Md Abdus Sobhan, general secretary of Poba and MdTayyab Ali, general Secretary of NASOF spoke during the event, along with others.
