Food is the most basic human need. Food is essential for survival, but if that food becomes the cause of death, it must be considered extremely insulting for a civilized society. Currently, food adulteration in our country has taken such a horrific form that nothing is safe from breakfast to dinner. The colorful fruits in the market, shiny rice, fresh-looking vegetables or packaged spices – the presence of toxic chemicals everywhere is putting public life at a long-term health risk. The main condition for building a healthy and strong nation is ensuring safe food. But the extreme moral degradation of a group of profit-hungry unscrupulous businessmen is today destroying that dream. Adulteration of food is not only a crime, it is a silent genocide.
The history of food adulteration may be old, but its modern methods are extremely horrific and diverse. At one time, mixing water with milk or mixing sawdust with tea leaves was the main form of adulteration. However, now, due to the misuse of technology, all kinds of chemical elements that are extremely harmful to the human body have been added. Formalin is being used to prevent decomposition in fish, which is actually used to preserve dead bodies. Copper sulfate or harmful artificial colors are being used to keep vegetables fresh for a long time. In the case of fruits, carbide and ethylene are being used to ripen unripe fruits quickly and for attractive colors. Unscrupulous traders are not hesitating to mix textile dyes or fabric colors even in children’s favorite sweet foods. Wax or chemicals are being added to the surface of rice to make it shiny by stripping the nutrients from it through polishing machines. The main cooking ingredients, edible oil and spice powder, are now mixed with brick dust, wood dust or cheap low-quality ingredients.
The harmful effects of this adulteration are far-reaching and irreparable. According to medical scientists, every organ of the human body is being damaged due to the consumption of this chemical-laced food. This toxic food is the main reason behind the alarming increase in the rate of kidney failure, liver failure, lung infection and stomach cancer. Its effects are especially terrible in children. Due to the consumption of these harmful ingredients at an older age, the physical growth of children is being hampered and the development of intelligence is being hampered. When pregnant mothers consume these adulterated foods, their unborn child is also at serious risk. Food contamination is a major reason behind the increase in the rate of birth defects in children. We are heading towards a terrible future where our next generation will be sick and intellectually disabled. This is like a deep conspiracy to cripple a nation bit by bit.
Sky-high greed and the desire to get rich quick are the main reasons behind food adulteration. When profit becomes more important than morality and human values, people do not hesitate to play with the lives of others. The weakness of the market supervision system and the lack of exemplary punishment for criminals are further fueling this trend. Sometimes we see news of mobile court raids or jail and fines in the media, but it is like a drop in the ocean. In most cases, big unscrupulous businessmen or manufacturers remain behind the scenes. Due to the implementation of proper legal measures and the opportunity for criminals to escape through the loopholes in the law, it is not possible to eradicate this social disease. The lack of a strong and uninterrupted supervision system has taken every common man hostage today.
To ensure safe food, the state must take the strictest stand. It is not enough to conduct campaigns only on a specific day or week, but to ensure supervision at every stage throughout the year. It is essential to establish trained manpower and modern laboratories for quality control at every level, from the production site to the retailer. There should be a mobile food testing laboratory in every district or police station, so that the quality of food can be verified whenever there is any doubt. In addition, strict implementation of the existing law on the crime of food adulteration should be ensured. If necessary, it is the need of the hour to provide maximum punishment for this crime and complete the trial process through a speedy trial tribunal. Whoever the culprit is, he should rise above political or social influence and be brought under the law. Only when an unscrupulous businessman sees that there is no way to get away with food adulteration, will order begin to return to the market.
However, it is not possible to eliminate this epidemic with legal rigor alone. This requires widespread social awareness. Consumers should also be aware of what they are buying and eating. They should refrain from buying excessively shiny or unusually large fruits. Importance should be given to local and seasonal fruits. If the common people consciously boycott adulterers and help the law enforcement agencies by providing information, then this crime can be reduced. In addition, business organizations also have a big responsibility. Every market committee should take responsibility so that no adulterated products are sold in their markets. Moral education should be spread among businessmen. Promoting religious and moral values can play a positive role in this regard. Efforts should be made to bring businessmen back from the dark path by reminding them of their accountability and social responsibility in the future.
The role of the media is also very important here. The evil effects of adulterated food and the vicious cycle of Public opinion should be created by highlighting the activities of the organization. Which brands or organizations are poisoning food, their identities should be revealed to the public. By doing this, not only will the common people be alert, but criminal organizations will also come under pressure. Modernization of the agricultural sector is also essential for safe food. Farmers should be trained in the proper use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and the use of organic fertilizers should be encouraged. If the violence of middlemen in market management can be reduced, farmers will be able to reach the products directly to the consumers, which will help ensure poison-free food. Modern cold storage or freezer facilities should be increased so that traders do not resort to the use of harmful chemicals to prevent spoilage.
In fact, preventing food adulteration is not the work of a single entity. It is a coordinated social movement. We must remember that our successors will have to bear the consequences of what we are doing today. If we cannot guarantee safe food today, a crippled generation will not forgive us. A state prospers only when its citizens are healthy and disease-free. No nation can reach the peak of development with sick people. Preventing diseases by ensuring safe food is much more effective and affordable than spending billions of taka on treatment. Safe food is a fundamental human right. Depriving people of this right is a major human rights violation.
Finally, I would like to say that it is time to wake up. A safe food system free of adulteration is possible only with the combination of the strictness of the administration, the honesty of the businessmen and the awareness of the common people. Let us swear that we will say ‘no’ to adulterated food not for our own sake but for the sake of the future of our children and the well-being of the country. Those who are destroying people’s lives by poisoning food are enemies of society, enemies of the state. No sympathy for them, but hatred and severe punishment should be desired. We want a Bangladesh where every person can eat safely and get the guarantee of living healthily. Let adulterated food be stopped, and precious human lives be saved. This should be our pledge. Because once life is gone, it cannot be regained, but it is certainly possible to build a safe environment with collective efforts.
