Curbing date-expired food items

We are finding in it a very proactive approach to curb the menace of questionable food items but it surely would not prove enough

What should have been in effect started some three years ago has at long last begun from last Wednesday – the drive for stopping sale of date-expired food items. Revelations appeared to be shocking from the very outset. The capital’s premium superstores were not only in the habit of storing and selling low-quality and date-expired food items but many of them also failed to provide any proper documents in this regard.
Though a couple of superstores were fined Tk. 8 lakh in total besides awarding one of the managers of these superstores to two years of imprisonment, but the point however is are they enough for preventing our shop owners from selling rotten, low-quality or date expired foodstuffs? If this is the reality of our believed-to-be finest superstores then what’s the condition of our ordinary public markets?
Now that the drive has commenced, we are finding in it a very proactive approach to curb the menace of questionable food items but it surely would not prove enough. We are somewhat horrified to imagine the sheer quantity of expired food items which had already been sold to customers in a span of almost three years beginning from October 2013, when the parliament had passed the Food Safety Act after repealing and re-enacting its outdated laws. However, it is better late than never, and the battle against the selling of contaminated, rotten and expired foods has established again the same old sad truth about dubious conniving in our food business.
Wednesday’s revelations were constrained within the capital city of Dhaka. What’s the countrywide scenario? It’s possibly worse. Besides the megastores, the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has also fined a trendy upmarket fast-food chain for selling bakery items past their sell-by dates. Our shop owners must realise that they don’t have any right to gamble with public health, they cannot profit by dubious dealings and unethical practices by pushing the public towards dangerous health consequences.  Drives may be launched to punish culprits and destroy palatable items but what matters the most is the rampant lack of ethics, honesty and awareness of the stores and restaurant owners.
The prerequisites for establishing an efficient, effective, scientifically-based authority for regulating and co-ordinating with activities relating to food production, import, processing, stockpiling, supplying, marketing and sales are still missing. It will continue to be so unless all stakeholders unite under one umbrella and commit themselves to the struggle jointly. This national duty is not restricted merely to our law enforcement agencies and the BFSA. All stakeholders within the food chain are equally responsible for ensuring the people’s right to have safe and healthy foodstuffs.  The drive should continue with a steady pace throughout the whole year, rather than being conducted sporadically. 

Curbing date-expired food items

We are finding in it a very proactive approach to curb the menace of questionable food items but it surely would not prove enough

What should have been in effect started some three years ago has at long last begun from last Wednesday the drive for stopping sale of date-expired food items. Revelations appeared to be shocking from the very outset. The capitals premium superstores were not only in the habit of storing and selling low-quality and date-expired food items but many of them also failed to provide any proper documents in this regard. Though a couple of superstores were fined Tk. 8 lakh in total besides awarding one of the managers of these superstores to two years of imprisonment, but the point however is are they enough for preventing our shop owners from selling rotten, low-quality or date expired foodstuffs? If this is the reality of our believed-to-be finest superstores then whats the condition of our ordinary public markets? Now that the drive has commenced, we are finding in it a very proactive approach to curb the menace of questionable food items but it surely would not prove enough. We are somewhat horrified to imagine the sheer quantity of expired food items which had already been sold to customers in a span of almost three years beginning from October 2013, when the parliament had passed the Food Safety Act after repealing and re-enacting its outdated laws. However, it is better late than never, and the battle against the selling of contaminated, rotten and expired foods has established again the same old sad truth about dubious conniving in our food business. Wednesdays revelations were constrained within the capital city of Dhaka. Whats the countrywide scenario? Its possibly worse. Besides the megastores, the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has also fined a trendy upmarket fast-food chain for selling bakery items past their sell-by dates. Our shop owners must realise that they dont have any right to gamble with public health, they cannot profit by dubious dealings and unethical practices by pushing the public towards dangerous health consequences. Drives may be launched to punish culprits and destroy palatable items but what matters the most is the rampant lack of ethics, honesty and awareness of the stores and restaurant owners. The prerequisites for establishing an efficient, effective, scientifically-based authority for regulating and co-ordinating with activities relating to food production, import, processing, stockpiling, supplying, marketing and sales are still missing. It will continue to be so unless all stakeholders unite under one umbrella and commit themselves to the struggle jointly. This national duty is not restricted merely to our law enforcement agencies and the BFSA. All stakeholders within the food chain are equally responsible for ensuring the peoples right to have safe and healthy foodstuffs. The drive should continue with a steady pace throughout the whole year, rather than being conducted sporadically.