POBA for Safe Food Act implementation: Actions against food adulterators stressed
Staff Reporter :
Although “safe food” is a fundamental right of every citizen, it is almost impossible of having unadulterated food in the country, speakers at a seminar said on Saturday.
The government should implement the Safe Food Act-2013 and other related laws considering the negative influences of such food on the public health, they told the seminar organised by Poribesh Bachao Andolon (POBA) in the Justice Administration Training Institute Bhaban in the city.
Our future generation grows with a serious health risk for the adulterated food, which is awfully alarming to the existence of our society, they added.
Bangladesh Law Commission Chairman and former Chief Justice A B M Kahirul Haque was the chief guest on the occasion while POBA Chairman Abu Naser Khan Chowdhury was in the chair.
National Human Rights Commission Chairman Professor Dr Mizanur Rahman and Bangladesh Law Commission Member Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, among others, spoke. POBA Executive General Secretary Engineer Abdus Sobhan read out the keynote paper.
Khairul Haque said that food is the basic and moral right of people born into this world and this right is repeated only in the country’s Constitution.
Referring to a court verdict, he said the High Court in 2007 directed the authorities concerned to set up ‘Food Court’ across the country to check food adulteration, aiming to protect the public health.
“The courts have been set up but no food analyst has been appointed yet. So, laws remain nonfunctional,” said the former chief justice.
“Had Bangladesh been liberated for this? Will 16 crore people eat only poison? Stronger monitoring is needed to check food adulteration and chemical contamination in food items,” he said.
Khairul Haque asked the pressure groups to put pressure on the members of parliament and ministers to take effective steps to ensure safe food for all. “A number of ministries like agriculture, food, commerce and industries are responsible for checking food contamination and adulteration. Voice should be raised in parliament to make the ministers accountable to people.”
The keynote paper said, although the harmful chemical “Dirty Dozen” is supposed to be used in a special sector, it is now being used openly and at any place.
It mentioned a study conducted by Bangladesh Agriculture Institute in 2010 which shows the use of pesticides in farming sector has increased by six-fold in the last 10 years.
The key note paper, quoting the Pesticides Action Network Asia and the Pacific, said a multi-billionaire industrial organisation has hands behind the increased use of insecticides in the country.
This organisation has already created influence on International Standard Assessing Authority and the authority concerned of our government greatly, it added.
The poisonous food creates cancer, kidney and liver and other diseases. There is an apprehension to breed deformed children by pregnant women, the paper further noted.
The symptoms of caner disease are found in children mostly for having adulterated foods. Some foods are so poisonous that it can change the DNA, the keynote went on saying.
Meanwhile, Kidney Foundation in a study report said, about 16 per cent people in our country are affected with the kidney related diseases responsible for eating poisonous food.
Although “safe food” is a fundamental right of every citizen, it is almost impossible of having unadulterated food in the country, speakers at a seminar said on Saturday.
The government should implement the Safe Food Act-2013 and other related laws considering the negative influences of such food on the public health, they told the seminar organised by Poribesh Bachao Andolon (POBA) in the Justice Administration Training Institute Bhaban in the city.
Our future generation grows with a serious health risk for the adulterated food, which is awfully alarming to the existence of our society, they added.
Bangladesh Law Commission Chairman and former Chief Justice A B M Kahirul Haque was the chief guest on the occasion while POBA Chairman Abu Naser Khan Chowdhury was in the chair.
National Human Rights Commission Chairman Professor Dr Mizanur Rahman and Bangladesh Law Commission Member Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, among others, spoke. POBA Executive General Secretary Engineer Abdus Sobhan read out the keynote paper.
Khairul Haque said that food is the basic and moral right of people born into this world and this right is repeated only in the country’s Constitution.
Referring to a court verdict, he said the High Court in 2007 directed the authorities concerned to set up ‘Food Court’ across the country to check food adulteration, aiming to protect the public health.
“The courts have been set up but no food analyst has been appointed yet. So, laws remain nonfunctional,” said the former chief justice.
“Had Bangladesh been liberated for this? Will 16 crore people eat only poison? Stronger monitoring is needed to check food adulteration and chemical contamination in food items,” he said.
Khairul Haque asked the pressure groups to put pressure on the members of parliament and ministers to take effective steps to ensure safe food for all. “A number of ministries like agriculture, food, commerce and industries are responsible for checking food contamination and adulteration. Voice should be raised in parliament to make the ministers accountable to people.”
The keynote paper said, although the harmful chemical “Dirty Dozen” is supposed to be used in a special sector, it is now being used openly and at any place.
It mentioned a study conducted by Bangladesh Agriculture Institute in 2010 which shows the use of pesticides in farming sector has increased by six-fold in the last 10 years.
The key note paper, quoting the Pesticides Action Network Asia and the Pacific, said a multi-billionaire industrial organisation has hands behind the increased use of insecticides in the country.
This organisation has already created influence on International Standard Assessing Authority and the authority concerned of our government greatly, it added.
The poisonous food creates cancer, kidney and liver and other diseases. There is an apprehension to breed deformed children by pregnant women, the paper further noted.
The symptoms of caner disease are found in children mostly for having adulterated foods. Some foods are so poisonous that it can change the DNA, the keynote went on saying.
Meanwhile, Kidney Foundation in a study report said, about 16 per cent people in our country are affected with the kidney related diseases responsible for eating poisonous food.