COUNTRY’S renowned business house TK Group was fined Taka 75 lakh on Sunday for marketing and selling adulterated and time-expired ‘Pusti Soybean Oil’ produced by its sister organization Super Oil Refinery, situated at Kanchpur in Narayanganj. It’s the highest amount of fine in the country’s history for food adulteration. A combined team of Rapid Action Battalion and Bangladesh Standard Testing Institute conducted the drive. The RAB magistrate, who led the team, claimed that the accused were caught red-handed when bottling unsold and time-expired oil with sticking new label inside the factory.
It’s highly surprising and also unbelievable that, a most renowned company has now engaged itself with dirty adulteration business. RAB magistrate also claimed that the accused factory did not follow the rules of quality control while 75 per cent chemicals of its quality control lab have also time-expired. With this one example, it is easily understandable how the situation is! Where the people will put their trust? In fact, the adulteration of foods has become a national issue. Earlier, we see small and household factories are engaged with this dirty practice. Now, we see big industries are joining. It is directly endangering public health seriously with numerous acute and chronic diseases. If the trend goes on unchallenged, our future generation will be seriously affected with vulnerable physical and mental growth inflicted by food adulteration.
Usually, fruits, vegetables, milk, fishes, sweetmeats, rice, wheat, meat, oil, ghee, spices, egg, soft drink, juice powder, baby foods and so on – are commonly adulterated . Fruits are adulterated with calcium carbide, ethephon, formalin, injections of colors and sweeteners. Vegetables are adulterated with formalin and toxic dyes while fish with formalin. Even some regular food items like carrot, bean, tomato, banana, mango etc. are contaminated with toxic pesticides. DDT is widely used in dried fish at a higher concentration. Milk is adulterated with formalin, addition of dirty water. That means, each and every item is adulterated by the dishonest traders for pocketing extra money.
Strict vigilance is needed to check the food adulteration with also bringing big industries under quality control supervision as this bad practice usually increases during Ramzan. We do urge the traders and businessmen to maintain holiness and solemnity of this month.
