Many people have long believed that formalin is used to preserve fruits and vegetables or keep them fresh, and as a result many are afraid to eat them. But the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority has issued a public notice saying formalin plays no role in preserving fruits or vegetables.

The authority says fruits and vegetables are fibrous foods with very little protein. Formalin is a 37 per cent aqueous solution of formaldehyde, a highly volatile chemical compound that reacts mainly with protein-rich foods, so it has no role in preserving fruits or vegetables. Moreover, fruits and vegetables naturally contain a certain level of formaldehyde (an average of 3-60 mg/kg), which is not harmful to human health.

A recent study carried out with the support of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that the formaldehyde in the country's fruits, vegetables and other foods was within the natural level for each product. The amount of formaldehyde an average adult Bangladeshi takes in from daily food is far below the maximum tolerable level.

Various advanced technologies can now extend the shelf life of fruit safely. Apples, for example, are given a thin coating of edible wax, which slows respiration and loss of moisture, protects the fruit from microbes and keeps it fresh and shiny for a long time.

Even so, the authority advises washing fruits and vegetables in safe water before eating them raw or cooking them, to reduce external and microbial contaminants. As disease-preventing foods, fruits and vegetables are essential in the daily diet. To meet daily nutritional needs, an adult should eat at least 100 grams of leafy greens, 200 grams of other vegetables and 100 grams of fruit along with other foods.

The Food Safety Authority said anyone using formalin or any other unapproved chemical to preserve fruits, vegetables or other food faces severe punishment under the Food Safety Act 2013: up to five years in prison, a fine of Tk 20 lakh, or both. Under the Formalin Control Act 2015, any unauthorised use of formalin is also a punishable offence.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.