Farmers in the country are not following the rules on pesticide use, said Professor Dr Ruhul Amin of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science at Dhaka University. He believes this is why fruit and vegetables have the highest rate of pesticide use among the foods produced in the country.

He made the remarks at a seminar on the overall activities of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA), held at its office in Shahbagh in the capital on Monday (30 December).

Dr Ruhul Amin said it is not known how safe any food produced in the country is, and there is not enough research on it. BFSA chairman Zakaria was chief guest, with BFSA members Mahmudul Kabir Murad and Md Wahiduzzaman among those present.

Presenting the keynote paper, Dr Ruhul Amin said the UN Sustainable Development Goals address food security and safe food. In Bangladesh, 23.8 per cent of rural people and 38 per cent of urban people eat fruit. By division, the rate is 40.2 per cent in Barishal, 17.3 in Chattogram, 26.5 in Dhaka, 26.2 in Khulna, 35.8 in Mymensingh, 48.9 in Rajshahi, 60.1 in Rangpur and 45.7 in Sylhet.

The rate of beef and poultry meat consumption is 15.7 per cent among rural people and 33.1 per cent in cities, and egg consumption is 10.1 per cent in villages and 18.9 per cent in cities. Production of eggs, milk and meat has risen in the country, but consumption is 7 per cent among the rich and only 2 per cent among the poor, he said.

On food safety management systems, he said exports must be safe food, or foreigners will not buy our products. Food safety depends on three levels: public food safety, third party and national level. Asked how much of the country's food production is safe, he said it is not known how safe any food is, but pesticide use is higher in fruit and vegetables.

On pesticide use, BFSA chairman Zakaria said soaking vegetables for 15 minutes reduces the effect of pesticides somewhat. More unsafe or harmful foods, such as liver, should be avoided, and people should consider how much of such food to eat.

On the authority's work, he said 248 of its staff are working across the country and steps have been taken to increase that number. Three more food safety testing laboratories will be built in Dhaka, Chattogram and Khulna with foreign grants, and the government will be asked to fill 318 posts for them.

Food sample testing is routine work, he said, and each district office is required to send at least two samples a month. Asked whether anything is being done to keep markets clean, since safe vegetables become contaminated by the market environment after reaching traders, he said that is the responsibility of local government and municipalities, where the authority has little scope to act.

Zakaria said testing products in open markets is difficult because the sellers do not produce them, but the authority does catch restaurants serving adulterated food and spares no one when adulteration is found. It has no power to close restaurants, however, and must rely on the courts.

He said chalk powder had been found in spices produced in Kushtia. A few months ago harmful substances were found in a brand of soft drink; after the authority took action, the company went to court and obtained approval, Zakaria said.

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