The Silent Poison on Our Plates: The Reality of Food Adulteration

From television and newspaper reports, we frequently learn about the discovery and seizure of adulterated food from factories, warehouses, markets and shops.

Food adulteration—particularly through the use of harmful and poisonous chemicals—has reached an alarming level, posing a serious threat not only to individual health but also to public health as a whole.

The issue of food safety has received attention from successive governments, specialists, journalists and social activists.

Yet, despite the efforts of monitoring authorities, food adulteration continues to spread.

As concerned citizens, we must therefore continue creating awareness about what food adulteration is why it has become so widespread, and what consequences it may have for our health and society.

Food adulteration means deliberately reducing the quality or purity of food by adding inferior, harmful or unauthorized substances, or by removing valuable ingredients.

The main purpose is usually to increase weight, volume, shelf life or appearance and thereby make greater profit. This dishonest practice puts consumers at considerable risk.

The Common Adulterants and Their Risks
Formalin: Formalin is a solution containing formaldehyde, widely used for preserving biological specimens and, historically, dead bodies.

It has been reported as being misused to preserve fish, fruits and vegetables and extend their shelf life.

Exposure to formaldehyde can irritate the eyes, skin and respiratory system, while significant or repeated exposure can cause serious health problems and is associated with cancer risk.

Toxic Artificial Colours: Industrial or non-food-grade dyes such as Metanil Yellow, Rhodamine B and Auramine may be illegally used to make turmeric, chilli powder, sweets and other foods appear brighter and more attractive.

Some of these substances have been associated with toxicity and potential long-term health risks.

Starch, Sugar and Other Cheap Fillers: Cheap starches, sugar syrups and other fillers may be added to milk, ghee, honey, butter and similar products to increase volume or weight.

Although not all such substances are equally poisonous, adulteration deceives consumers and can be particularly harmful to people who must carefully control their sugar or carbohydrate intake.

Other Adulterants: Urea may be misused in certain food products to alter appearance or texture. Brick powder and sawdust may be mixed with chilli or coriander powder to increase weight.

Argemone seeds can resemble mustard seeds and, when mixed with mustard oil, may create serious health risks

..What latest evidence says, in June 2026, WHO reported that unsafe food causes an estimated 866 million illnesses and 1.52 million deaths worldwide each year. Children under five year about 29 percent of the health burden from unsafe food.

..At a Bangladesh food safety seminar in June 26, experts also highlighted chemical contamination and reported concerns about lead and cadmium exposure among children. Children are particularly highly vulnerable.

..Recent studies in Bangladesh have also found significant contamination of food products with toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic and chromium raising serious concerns about long term risk to public health.

The Anatomy of the Threat: What Are We Consuming?
The danger of food adulteration lies not only in the immediate symptoms it may cause but also in repeated exposure over many years.

A person may unknowingly consume small quantities of harmful substances every day. The cumulative effect can be far more serious than consumers realize.

What appears to be fresh fish may have been chemically treated. Brightly coloured spices or sweets may contain unauthorized dyes.

Milk, honey or ghee may have been diluted or artificially thickened. In this way, the very food that should nourish and protect our bodies can gradually become a source of illness.

Can Consumers Detect Adulteration at Home?
Professional laboratory testing is the most reliable method of identifying adulterants.

Some simple household observations and screening methods, however, may help consumers become more cautious.

Fish and Fruits: Unusual stiffness, an unnatural appearance or an absence of the normal smell of fresh fish may be warning signs. However, the absence of flies alone is not a reliable scientific test for formalin.

Consumers should purchase food from reputable sources and wash fresh produce and fish thoroughly before consumption.

Milk: Various traditional household tests are sometimes suggested for detecting dilution or starch in milk.

However, these methods are not sufficiently reliable to confirm purity. Laboratory or approved rapid-test methods are preferable.

Turmeric and Chilli Powder: A sudden, intense release of colour into water may indicate the presence of artificial colouring, but this too is only a preliminary observation and cannot conclusively identify a particular chemical.

Consumers should be especially cautious of unusually bright or unnatural colours.

The important message is that home tests may create awareness, but they should never replace proper scientific testing.

What Must the Authorities Do?
Awareness alone cannot solve what is fundamentally a structural problem. The state must move from occasional, reactive action to continuous and preventive enforcement.

1. Regular and Unannounced Market Inspections:
Food safety authorities should conduct routine, random inspections of wholesale markets, food-processing units, warehouses and cold-storage facilities throughout the year—not merely during festivals or special campaigns.

2. Accessible Community Testing Facilities:
Low-cost or free rapid food-testing facilities could be established at major kitchen markets so that consumers, traders and community organizations can verify suspicious food products.

3. Stronger Punishment for Repeat Offenders:
Fines alone may not be sufficient to deter large-scale adulterators. Serious and repeated violations should result in substantial penalties, cancellation of licences, sealing of establishments and, where appropriate under the law, imprisonment.

4. Greater Public Awareness:
Schools, community organizations, media outlets and social groups can play an important role in educating people about safe food practices and encouraging them to report suspected adulteration.

A Call to Action
Protecting the food supply is not merely an administrative responsibility; it is a fundamental human right and a collective national responsibility.

Consumers must remain vigilant and make informed choices, while authorities must enforce the law without fear or favour.

Food adulteration is ultimately driven by greed at the expense of human life. A society cannot truly progress if its people are forced to question whether the food on their plates is safe to eat.

We need stronger enforcement, responsible traders, vigilant consumers and, above all, a culture in which making profit by endangering human health is regarded not merely as a business offence but as a serious crime against society.

The food that keeps us alive must never become the silent poison that makes us sick. Ensuring safe and pure food today means protecting the health, dignity and future of the nation tomorrow.

(The writer: Ex-Country Manager, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Frankfurt, Germany)