ACCORDING to news reports, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has made the disclosure that food-borne diseases kill an estimated two million people annually, including children in developing countries that also cover Bangladesh. The disclosure came in the wake of World Health Day, observed on April 7 at global level raising question whether Bangladesh government and health sector in particular is aware of the problem endangering safety to public health. WHO’s disclosure said food that is contaminated with harmful parasites, bacteria, viruses, prions, chemical or radioactive substances causes the spread of more than 200 diseases. As food production has turned into industry and its trade and distribution has been globalised through supply chain, multiple risks for food to become contaminated with harmful bacteria has become a real danger in handling food. WHO officials shared their fears that problems related to local food safety could rapidly turn into an international emergency as food packaging materials sometimes contain ingredients from many countries which are open to bacterial exposure. WHO has also 582 million estimated cases of 22 different food-borne enteric diseases and over 0.35 million associated annual deaths from common disease agents related to food contamination.
As the news about the risks is hitting the ground, health experts wonder why the government has not yet enforced the Safe Food Act-2013 considering the danger from food contamination. We also equally share the concerns and demand both preventive and curative steps at the national level to meet the public health challenge. In Bangladesh, business houses importing food items or producing and processing it at local plants are highly at risk to contaminate food and endanger public health. In fact, they are leaving the nation more vulnerable to food contamination through harmful diseases. We suggest that the Safe Food Act must be immediately enforced and that all food production and processing must be rigorously monitored so that high standards of food safety be maintained and general hygiene properly upheld. Developed nations make sure that their food industries operate with responsibility, transparency and accountability and Bangladesh must learn from them.
We should also bring our food production and supply chain from farm gate to manufacturers, vendors and consumers level under strictly monitored health inspection and certification. We suggest rigorous monitoring on use of excessive pesticide, ripening agents, and the presence of heavy metals in food that may cause food borne diseases. We cannot afford major health risks from unsafe food. All steps must be in place to face the challenge.
