Beat the heat with fruits

Amid the scorching heat, seasonal juicy fruits have flooded the markets in the capital bringing relief to consumers. But these summer delicacies also come with a worry for the people as they are unsure whether those are formalin-free.

Bangladesh Food Safety Authority and Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) recently submitted their reports after carrying out investigations on 28 products and 193 sample fruits respectively declaring that there is no presence of formalin in fruits.

The assurance over safe fruits boosted the confidence of consumers contributing to a substantial rise in fruit sale in the city.

Also, various types of dates added taste to the seasonal fruit basket as the month of Ramadan began with due solemnity.

A visit to the Motijheel and Secretariat areas, Karwan Bazar and Mouchak by the news agency found high presence of consumers at fruit outlets though they said the prices still remained high.

Some 33 oranges, 40 maltas, 68 apples, 38 grapes, three watermelons, two mangoes, one banana and five dates, among others, have been tested at the BSTI to know whether there is any existence of formalin in fruits, according to BSTI sources.

“There's nothing to panic. We've tested 28 products, including fruits. We didn't get formalin, which is harmful,” said Mohammad Mahfuzul Haque, chairman of Bangladesh Food Safety Authority.

Kamrun Nesa was buying fruits for her family from a vendor. She said that she heard about formalin-free fruits this time. “But the prices seem to be high.”

According to market information, various types of mangoes are selling at Tk 80 to Tk 120 per kg, while litchi Tk 250 to Tk 500 (100 pieces) depending on size and quality, guava Tk 80 to Tk 120 per kg, watermelon Tk 300 to Tk 500 per piece depending on size and pineapple per piece Tk 20 to Tk 40.

Date is selling at Tk 120 to Tk 250 per kg against Tk 80 to Tk 220 last year at the retail markets, according to Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB).