Govt urged to restrict formalin import

Speakers at a roundtable yesterday urged the government to enforce laws strictly to restrict the import of formalin to prevent its use in food products.
Around 70 percent of formalin use can be prevented if its import is controlled, they added.
The roundtable discussion titled "Child Nutrition and Food Safety" was organised by the Bangla daily Prothom Alo at its office in Karwan Bazar in the capital with support from the NGO Eminence.
Speakers also urged the government to establish laboratories at border and shipping points and airports of every district to ensure quality assurance of imported food products.
"Around Tk 10,000 crore was spent by the government last year on LC of fruits import. A segment of this money can be spent on pre-shipment assessment to check whether the fruits imported have formalin or any other harmful chemicals in them," said Tahmid Ahmed, director of Centre for Nutrition and Food Safety, ICDDR, B.
Speakers said the use of formalin in food products could be reduced if the government ensured that only those who used the chemical for laboratory or medical use could purchase it.
"More quality assurance labs can easily be set up in airports if a one-percent tax is levied on imported fruits. The price of the fruits might increase from Tk7 to 8 but health risks would be reduced significantly," said Abu Alam Md Shahid Khan, secretary to Local Government Division of the Ministry of LGRD and Cooperatives.
Dr Md Shamim Hayder Talukder, CEO of Eminence, spoke among others.