BSTIs tough stance welcome
It is heartening to note that the BSTI has cancelled licences of seven factories and suspended production licenses of 18 factory units after the Supreme Court made an observation on 52 substandard food items recently. The banning of 52 food items ranging from mustard oil to noodles, has led to several twists in the market scenario with many well-known companies defending their products, saying that only items from a certain batch were tainted. They also asked the Bangladesh Standard Testing Institute (BSTI) to carry out a re-assessment and then issue a full ban order.
In the month of Ramadan, when the masses expect the government to monitor market prices plus standard of food items, such a firm move by BSTI has earned kudos from all sections. Unless there is a stern drive, many products on sale in the market will not meet the quality mark, leaving the consumers hoodwinked. Over the years, consumer rights have become a talking point in urban areas though people in rural Bangladesh hardly know that as a buyer, someone has the right to expect the best.
The recent high court ruling which banned 52 products of well reputed companies indicates the unwavering determination of the authority to send a clear message to packaged food producers. While the suspended factories may get their licences back if re-assessment clears their products, the ones which have had their licenses cancelled will have to re-apply for a BSTI certificate to market their products.
Some may find this move draconian though there is no lenient way to deal with low grade items on offer. For years, consumers in Bangladesh had to be satisfied with what they were offered with hardly anyone raising a voice against large companies. This time, almost all of the banned products are from brand names to which most people attach a lot of trust and confidence. It seems that these companies could not respect peoples trust and therefore, they either have to improve their quality or prove that only certain batches of food items were faulty.
Civil society should stand behind this drive since most of the items banned are regularly eaten by children. If the current move manages to create ripples then companies will soon pay more attention to the set guidelines of safe food.
As part of the campaign, the authority can put up easy to understand safe food chart in all shopping malls, mentioning the right balance of ingredients. The current safe food campaign which inspects food items on sale should extend beyond Ramadan and also focus on the ready to eat meat industry that has proliferated in the last five years.
