Food-borne diseases
Food-borne diseases are an ever-growing concern across the globe and it has been reported that in 2005 alone, 1.8 million people succumbed to death due to the diarrhoeal diseases mainly attributed to food and drinking water contamination. It's obvious that the poor and developing countries like ours top the list of most vulnerable countries due to many reasons like illiteracy, poverty, unscrupulousness of food manufacturers and sellers and lack of proper surveillance on the government's part etc. From the picture of the last few years it is as clear as the daylight that how horrible, grim and grisly is our condition in this regard. Deadly formalin in fish, milk and milk products, urea with rice, poisonous pesticides, chemicals and other preservatives with fruits and vegetables, artificial ripening and colouring of fruits, algae in so called pure beverage bottles, industrial dye and tar in sweetmeat, arsenic in water and even, recently, in paddyin fact, the list is so long that a whole book could be written on it. As a result of food and drinks adulteration and contamination the health of the people is breaking down giving rise to fatal diseases on a regular basis. Millions of taka is being spent behind treatment and the government is already gasping for air while coping with the ever-growing cost of health care.
Why all this? Why should we wait to die buying and having poisonous food and drink with our own money? If the punishment of killing is hanging, why then shouldn't they be hanged who are killing us with poisonous foods bit by bit?
A concerted effort on the part of the government, food industry and consumers is a must to get us rid of this curse. National food safety systems must be strengthened as suggested by WHO.
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