DIFFERENT types of food items, including milk, are still producing and marketing in the country by different factories despite taking action by the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority. In July, it filed cases against 10 companies accusing them of selling pasteurized milk tainted with lead. The legal action came from the country’s food quality regulator in response to a High Court order passed on July 16 that asked the authorities concerned to submit a report to the court about actions taken against the identified companies.
Earlier, Dhaka University Researchers and the Food Safety Authority in separate researches found harmful antibiotic, lead, bacteria and other toxic substances in dairy products. Centring the research findings that showed a prevalence of toxic in dairy products, the Ministry concerned showed reluctance to the public health danger. The nation has been slow poisoning due to profiteering attitude of food producers, especially milk, through adulteration as children are served packed-milk by their parents considering its nutrition value.
The Safe Food Authority filed the case with the court against dairy companies those sell pasteurized milk. It is also pathetic seeing that — senior lawyers and prominent barristers take the side of the companies whose crimes in adulterating milk have apparently been proved in the laboratory. The researchers had found bacteria and lead in 96 raw cow milk samples, 31 brands of pasteurized milk, 30 curd brands and 30 fodder samples collected from different areas.
A health scare gripped the nation after multiple antibiotics were traced in pasteurized milk samples collected from the market. Some of the samples even contained detergents giving ground to allegations that contaminated milk was being sold in the market. Detergent was alleged to have been a very important component of the adulterated milk. The government must be more cautious when the vital nutrition source in the country become contaminated and posed serious health hazards.
Milk is mainly consumed by the children. So, the government must assure the citizens by ensuring the cow milk safe for children to intake.
