It is now almost impossible to find any food in Bangladesh without formalin, and eating food containing formalin raises health risks. But formalin can be removed from food with a few very simple methods.

Many people believe that soaking food in clean water for 15 to 20 minutes removes or reduces formalin. It may reduce it, but not very effectively. Instead, to remove formalin from food in its raw state, keep it under a running tap for 10 to 15 minutes. The skins of raw vegetables and fruit have countless tiny pores, and when they are left soaking in water, formalin can mix into the food even more. So put the food or fruit under a running tap.

Formalin can also be removed by soaking food in vinegar or lemon juice for 15 to 20 minutes.

Heat destroys much of the formalin, so if these methods are used to reduce formalin before cooking, the food can be made completely free of formalin.

Source: Bangladesh Pratidin. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.