Unregulated soft drinks pose serious health risks

A DAILY reported that the country’s mostly unregulated market of soft drinks poses serious risks for public health but the concerned governmental agencies are unaware of that. Most companies producing soft drinks capture a sizeable market share within a very short time riding on aggressive advertisements without maintaining the quality of their products. Even then, the companies need no certification from the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) to start the business of selling soft drinks except for the carbonated beverages. Surprisingly, most of the products sold do not disclose the ingredients with their amounts on the labels. Scientific test found ingredients like caffeine, sugar, taurine, glucuronolactone, inositol, guarana etc are used in energy drinks beyond acceptable levels. Intake of carbonated water and energy drinks has now become socially prestigious to many while juice is popular to children and elderly persons. They consume the soft drinks thinking its health benefit but ironically the drinks in reality are hazardous for health while the government is seemingly an unconcerned bystander.

Companies producing flavoured drinks, juices, and fruit juices usually obtain quality certificates long after their products have been marketed.

And the quality certificates are given without getting the beverages tested to find out the ingredients used in them for colouring, flavouring and sweetening as the agencies concerned lack testing facilities. It is shocking to know, until now, only two juice brands, 14 fruit juice brands and 22 carbonated beverage brands have obtained quality certificates from BSTI. The BSTI standard is ill-defined: juices are drinks containing cent per cent fruit pulp, fruit juice should contain around 10 per cent fruit pulp while flavoured drink contains only flavours but no pulp – which is much below the global standard specification. The BSTI never set a standard for energy drinks and officially it even does not admit that these drinks are sold everywhere in Bangladesh.

In 2015, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research found the presence of sodium benzoate as preservatives at levels between twice and 10 times more than the permitted standard which could cause cancer. In 2013, the Department of Narcotics Control found the presence of caffeine in excess to permissible limits in all of the 57 energy drinks tested. Soft drinks are linked with, according to Scientific Research, various health hazards, including, obesity, diabetes, brain damage, cancer as well liver, and kidney malfunctions.

It is difficult to believe that these addictive beverages are sold in this country without any checks and even children, pregnant women and elderly people consume them not knowing what they are drinking. Regular and excessive caffeine intake might cause cardiovascular diseases and can cause brain damage. The regulations or laws have lost usefulness because nobody cares to feel accountable. Moreover, there remains overpowering power of corruption.