Media can play key role to stop food adulteration

Speakers underlined the importance of gearing up anti-adulteration campaign to check contamination in food items for safety of public health. “Collective efforts of all including media are essential to stop mixing toxic chemicals and formalin with food items which are potential threats to the public health,” they told a press conference.
The conference was arranged on Friday as part of a weeklong anti-adulteration campaign programme began in Narsingdi. The district administration and upazila’s administration arranged separate rallies and meetings at different crowded spots of the district.
In the district town, a large coulourful procession, led by Deputy Commissioner Obaidul Azam, was brought out from DC office premises. The procession paraded the main streets of the town and ended at Narsingdi municipality market.
Speakers said collective efforts of all authorities concerned including media are very important for stopping adulteration in food items.
They said the markets have been flooded with formalin and carbide mixed fruits and unscrupulous traders are making brisk business through selling the toxic fruits like mango, apple, grape, pineapple, litchi, water-melon and various fishes to the customers.
As a result, people, particularly children are being affected. Even important organs like kidney and heart of the human bodies are being damaged for consuming poisonous mixed fruits, vegetables and fishes, they also said.
They emphasized the need for building a social movement in this regard and urged the government to take necessary measures without delay to stop selling adulterated food items. The speakers also demanded conducting mobile court regularly in fruit and kitchen markets and give exemplary punishment to unscrupulous fruits and fish traders.