THE government drive on city hotels and restaurants from early this week amid growing concerns over poor unhygienic conditions in eateries serving adulterated and low-quality food is not an effective step. Some money may be earned by fining some restaurant owners. Mobile court is coining what Health Ministry must do.The move now being carried out by DMP run mobile courts and organized jointly by Dhaka South and Dhaka North City Corporations and Bangladesh Food Security Authority appears to be a very timely action at the beginning of peak summer. It is a highly critical time when serving stale food or in unclean hygienic conditions may cause diarrhoea and such other food related sickness to people. The drive will definitely screen out errant restaurants and put an alert signal to others thereby giving consumers the opportunity to have hygienic foods avoiding serious health risks.If not most, many restaurants in the capital are regularly serving stale and substandard foods to people cooked in dirty kitchen. It is taking place almost unchecked in absence of much needed anti-adulteration drives by Health Authorities which is common in most countries giving priority to public health. But our eateries and fast food shops in the city and all over the country are mindlessly exploiting the people while the Health Authorities in the country and especially in Dhaka city are keeping their eyes almost shut to this hygienic issue, except launching some occasional drives to justify their presence. It is an open secret that many super shops and departmental stores are also selling substandard food items and were also fined on many occasions for selling time expired products. In many cases they are sidetracking quality approval of Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) while selling rotten food. The hygienic drive is thus a much needed health protection action and we would expect that the authorities concerned will continue such drives bringing more restaurants under watch and also at frequent intervals. Punishing errant hotel owners will not only put a brake to such cheating but also go a long way to create awareness among consumers against health risks. Even quality food vendors like Chinese restaurants and such other brands serve people with stale food prepared in unhealthy environment. In our view there is no alternative to regular inspection to hotels, their foods and kitchen to stop cheating consumers being served with substandard food who pay otherwise exorbitantly high price for such food.What the Health Ministry will not do others cannot do. It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health to see eating places to maintain healthy conditions for serving food clean and good.Mobile courts may be used only once a while for earning some extra money in the form of fine. But it will not solve the problem.
