Enactment for formalin free food
Formaldehyde, more popularly known as formalin is a dangerous chemical. It has been haunting our people for quite some time. In the recent years, this threat has increased to an unbelievable extent. Primarily formalin is used as a disinfectant. It kills most bacteria and fungi, thus providing a good way of preserving fishes or other similar food items. However, this is highly toxic and clearly harmful for any living thing.
Unfortunately, some ill-considered vendors in the food market of Bangladesh have used this chemical to an extreme manner for their petty benefits, harming the people of our country at all levels.
To protect consumer's right to fresh and healthy food, different legislations are available in Bangladesh like, Vokta Odhikar Songrokkhon Ain 2009 (Consumers Rights Protection Act 2009) along with Pure Food Ordinance 1959 and Pesticide Ordinance 1971. Inspection and control was established to some extent for fish and fish related products through Fish and Fish Product Ordinance 1983. However, all these safeguards were not good enough to protect the consumers of Bangladesh from the unlikely threat of formalin.
On the verge of these extreme times of poisoning food items with formalin, the Government has passed a new draft bill, The Formalin Control Act 2014 in July 2014. The draft Act will be used to control the import of formalin and the way it is used and abused in food items. Punishment for people who misuses formalin is set with the maximum punishment being life imprisonment and the minimum punishment being seven years imprisonment. It is a non-bailable offence under the Act. The offenders also may have to pay a maximum fine of Tk. 20 lakhs.
Surely, abusing a toxic element like formalin by mixing it with food deserves vigorous punishment. After the said Act is effective, the Deputy Commissioners and Upazila Nirbahi Officers will be given the power to monitor and control the usage of formalin.
It is of utmost importance that the provisions of the Act do not end up remaining in pen and paper without being enforced rigorously. As without implementing the safeguards, there is no way we can achieve the final result, which is to enhance the right to healthy and fresh food options. It has to be agreed that the Dhaka Metropolitan Police is providing protection to the general people from formalin laced edible items, but considering the mass population of the city, one might wonder if DMP can actually cope up with huge numbers of vendors branched extensively throughout the city and the country as a whole.
The general mass must take the food contamination issue very seriously and consider it as a general fight for the right of healthy and fresh edible items. Only then would it be truly possible to get rid of this silent curse.
Sk. La-Tainur Rahman
LLB (Hons), Northumbria University, UK.
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