Get formalin detectors for food: HC

The High Court has ordered government to constitute an expert committee in a week for procuring detectors suitable for tracing formalin in food.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 24 Nov 2014, 10:13 AM
Updated : 24 Nov 2014, 01:25 PM

The bench of justices Salma Masud Chowdhury and Md Khasruzzaman gave the order on Monday.

They ordered that representatives from the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), National Food Safety Laboratory (NFSL), the Directorate of National Consumer Rights and Dhaka University’s Institute of Nutrition and Food Science be put on that committee.

The court directed secretaries to health, food and home to carry out the orders.

The defendants will have to procure the formalin-testing machine that the committee recommends.

The court has given two months to select and procure the testing machine and ordered the finance ministry to fund the purchase.

'Bangladesh Fresh Food Importers' Association' chief Sadhan Chandra Das and Secretary Sirajul Islam moved the court on July 13.

Monday's order came after an initial hearing on the petition.

Directors general of the BCSIR and BSTI, and NFSL director have been ordered to submit a report to the court after examining the formalin-testing machine.

A BCSIR report said the tool used in Bangladesh to test formalin in fruits is in fact meant to detect formalin in air. The report cited the manufacturing company's website and manual.

Meanwhile, a BSTI report said the tool used by Dhaka Metropolitan Police to detect formalin did not give accurate results.

It said they collected apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, dates, mangoes from the market and tested them using DMP’s Formaldehyde Meter Z300.

However, when the tests were run using BSTI's own technique, formalin was found only in the mangoes.

Formalin is usually used in laboratories, hospitals, tanneries, textiles and hatcheries. But it is widely abused in perishable food stuff to make them appear fresh, triggering a public health hazard because of its harmful effects on the human body.

In a previous verdict, the court had given directives to stop the use of chemicals to ripen and preserve food.

It ordered setting up of 'chemical test units' at all land and sea ports within six months to prevent entry of tainted food stuff into Bangladesh.

It also ordered forming a committee to inspect the fruit markets and warehouses throughout the year to make sure contaminated fruits were not sold in markets.

Defence counsel Manzill Murshid said it was necessary to put a stop to the use of harmful chemicals in food stuff.

He said destroying thousands of tonnes of fruits claiming they contained formalin would only cause losses for the businessmen and consumers.

"It is necessary to test the formalin-testing kit since there have been questions over its effectiveness," he said.