Special Correspondent :
Safe Food Authority has requested the authorities concerned to conduct laboratory tests of imported fish to ensure poison-free foods for the people.
It came up with the call after detecting a high-level toxic chemicals in an imported fish.
“All the fish imported from abroad are containing deadly chemicals. It poses serious threat to human health. So, imported fish requires mandatory laboratory test before entering local market,” reads a letter of Safe Food Authority sent to the concerned ministries and deprtaments on January 1.
The letter signed by Mahbub Kabir, a member of the Authority, mentioned that they found deadly chemicals like Lead, Chromium and Mercury in almost all kinds of imported fish. Consumption of those fish can be fatal for human health.
In this context, imported fish requres full laboratory test prior to get release from the ports. Importers should be allowed to realese their consignments after fishes are being examined at Atomic Energy Center, BCSIR, Fish Quality Control Lab in Savar and the fish imported.
It also requested the Fisheries Department to determine the tolarable limit of chemicals in imported fish which is now entering domestict market only after formalin test.
The letter also mentioned of legal obligation on the part of other government agencies to cooperate with the Authority as per the Safe Food Act 2013.
A human body can tolerate 0.25mg Cadmium, 0.30mg Lead, 1mg Mercury and 1mg Chromium 1mg. But when the chemicals enter the human bodies in exces, it is harmful for human body.
“Chemicals found in imported sea fishes are 4-5 times higher than the prescribed levels,” said Mahbub Kabir, adding, “We have already alerted the authorities about the situation and they decided to ensure laboratory tests.”
Syed Arif Azad, Director General of Fisheries Department, said that the Department collects samples of fish imported and send it to the laboratory for tests. It has been done regularly for several years.
Admitting the presence of toxic chrmicals in imported fishes, he said, “Marine fish imported from the Middle East is carrying the most harmful chemicals among them. We imformed the matter to the Ministry of Commerce two years ago requesting to impose ban on marine fish import. But it is yet to come out with the decision.”
Earlier, the Department of Food forwarded a similar recommendation to the Commerce Ministry and National Board of Revenue detecting toxic chemicals in imported fishes in their separate laboratory test.
According to the available data, about one lakh tonnes of fish were imported in the 2016-17 fiscal year, while these were 88,593 tonnes in fiscal year 2015-16.
About 97,383 tonnes of fish were imported in 2014-15 fiscal year.
Fishes were mainly imported from India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Vietnam, Singapore, China, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen.
