BSTI should regularly conduct tests on milk: Prof Faroque
Prof ABM Faroque, director of Biomedical Research Centre, Dhaka University, yesterday called upon Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institute (BSTI), Bangladesh Food Safety Authority and Institute of Public Health to carry out regular tests on pasteurised milk from now on.
The DU professor also called upon BSTI to update its 15 year old test procedure to examine milk.
Prof Faroque came up with the call at a discussion in Dhaka Reporters’ Unity.
Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba), WBB Trust, Doctors for Health and Environment and other non-government organisations jointly held the programme titled “Research of DU professor on pasteurised milk: what should we do for public interest”.
In his speech, Prof Faroque said BSTI, Food Safety Authority and other relevant organisations should regularly carry out tests on milk in their laboratories as antibiotics used in medical treatment have been detected in pasteurised and unpasteurised milk.
Prof Md Abu Sayeed, president, Doctors for Health and Environment, and Gaus Piary, director, WBB Trust, among others, also spoke at the programme presided over by Abu Naser Khan, chairman of Poba.
Speakers at the programme said a quarter with vested interest is involved in producing liquid milk from sub-standard imported powdered milk.
Besides, media has often published reports that milk containing chemicals and detergent is being supplied at low cost to different companies, they added.
The DU Pharmacy Faculty and Biomedical Research Centre on June 25 revealed that its researchers found detergent and antibiotics for humans in packaged milk available in kitchen markets and grocery shops -- raising serious health concerns.
The antibiotics include levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin and azithromycin that are used mainly to treat bacterial infections in humans.
They came to the conclusion after testing seven samples of widely-sold pasteurised milk and three samples of unpasteurised milk.
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