Food and Medicine Adulteration Festival in Bangladesh
Dr. Md. Anwar Hossain :
Food and medicine are among the basic needs for the survival of a nation. But in present-day Bangladesh, the infiltration of adulteration in these two life-saving ingredients has reached a level that is not only a crime, but also a well-planned genocide.
In this extreme crisis of public health, every product starting from baby food to daily necessities is questionable today. This is not just a statistic, but a cry of a dying humanity.
The future of a nation is built on its physical and mental well-being. But the poisonous claw that has spread on public health in present-day Bangladesh is the adulteration of food and life-saving medicines.
When the basic ingredients essential for life become a death warrant, it is not only a crime, but is considered an extreme cruelty in the history of human civilization.
Starting from powdered milk to rice, pulses, oil and essential medicines—everything is questionable today.
In this article, we present an in-depth research-based analysis of the severity of this sensitive adulteration situation in Bangladesh and its multifaceted impact.
Children are the best asset of a nation, yet in Bangladesh, food like powdered milk and baby cereals are being adulterated mercilessly.
The use of melamine, detergents or whiteners in powdered milk causes kidney failure in children and permanent liver damage.
When a child consumes poison instead of nutrition at the beginning of his life, the talented and healthy future of that nation is destroyed in its infancy. This is not only a health risk, but also a humanitarian disaster.
Harmful chemicals like hydrogen peroxide, formalin and soda are being used to keep liquid milk fresh for a long time and make it look thick.
There is even evidence of using starch or flour to increase its density by mixing water in milk.
Toxic fabric dyes and artificial fragrances are being used in sweets and desserts made from this milk.
When this poison is present in sweets served at religious or social festivals, it indicates the extreme degradation of our social values.
This is perhaps the most brutal chapter in the history of the world when life-saving medicines are adulterated.
Starting from antibiotics to the common paracetamol in Bangladesh today, everything is full of fake and low-quality ingredients.
Due to these adulterated medicines, the patient’s disease is not cured, but the heart, kidneys and liver become useless and they quickly rush towards death.
This creates an extreme psychological crisis, where people lose faith in doctors or hospitals. Such a betrayal of a person standing at the crossroads of life and death is in no way forgivable.
In independent Bangladesh, turmeric and chili powder, which are used to enhance the taste and color of cooking, are being mixed with brick powder, wood dust and toxic textile dyes.
This adulteration of daily necessities like spices has put our domestic food habits at risk, which is creating extreme pressure on national health in the long run.
The use of calcium carbide to ripen fruits and formalin and other preservatives to keep them fresh is an open secret in Bangladesh.
This is an extreme example of the moral lapses that exist among our farmers and traders, where human life is despised in the hope of quick profits.
Formalin and harmful pesticides are being used to make fish look bright and fresh. The use of formalin to make the gills of fish look red and to prevent long-term decomposition is deceiving the common consumer.
When the main source of aquatic protein turns into poison, it becomes impossible to meet the protein needs of the common man, which is creating a malnourished and weak society.
Mixing cheap and low-quality palm oil or rice bran oil with soybean and mustard oil is now a daily occurrence. Even burnt oil is being cleaned with chemicals and released back into the market.
Edible oil is an integral part of our cooking, and when it is adulterated, it creates a breeding ground for disease in every home. This is a major failure of our food security system.
The process of artificially whitening and polishing ordinary rice (called miniket or Nazirshail) is not only a fraud, but also akin to destroying the important vitamins and minerals on the surface of the rice.
This polishing of rice reflects an artificially aristocratic mentality in our society, which prioritizes appearance over health.
Even though there is no fruit in children’s favorite ice cream and bottled juices, they contain high levels of artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.
This culture of consuming poison in the guise of joy is hollowing out a nation from within.
Many salts are being sold in the market in the name of iodized salt, which do not contain even a trace of iodine.
This adulteration of a cheap and essential ingredient like salt basically shakes the intellectual foundation of a nation. It is a silent killer for public health that slowly wastes talent.
Various government and private studies have shown that about 40 percent of food products in Bangladesh are adulterated in some way.
Law enforcement alone is not enough as a solution; rather, a strong moral framework and strict monitoring system are needed from the producer to the seller. Awareness of the common people is the only way to save ourselves from this great danger.
This sensitive situation of adulteration of food and medicines in Bangladesh has today turned into a national crisis. This is not just a health issue, but it is a fight for the survival of a nation.
The presence of poison in every step from powdered milk to rice and pulses is pushing our future generations towards a crippled and sickly future.
In order to break this vicious cycle, it is necessary to develop a strong movement at the personal and social levels along with strict intervention by the state This long list of adulterations in food and medicine proves that we are not just in a health crisis, but we have reached the final stage of a moral and psychological decline.
Adulteration not only harms the body, it also reduces mutual trust between people and trust in the state.
In scientific terms, it is a slow chemical attack. To avoid this horror, social movements and personal awareness are essential, along with strict law enforcement.
The right of every citizen to safe food is a fundamental right, which is the joint responsibility of the state and society to ensure.
If we cannot get out of this toxic cycle today, future generations will never forgive us. There is no alternative to safe food if we are to stand tall as a healthy and strong nation.
(The author is an Essayist, Writer and President of the International Anti-Drug Organization – Freedom International Anti-Alcohol. E-Mail Address: [email protected]))