***We have forgotten that if manufacturing spurious items is criminal, it is no less so to overlook the practice. Particularly when someone's job is to ensure quality and thereby the standard of life of the people.***

EVEN without going to such extreme as "people are what they eat". one can reasonably find it nauseating to live in this society. A serialised report tilled. Story of Unconsumable. Foods" published in this daily has presented chilling details of various methods of adulteration of food items. This is however not for the first time that we come to know of criminal practices with the consumable and the usable. This report only shows precisely where things go wrong and how the spurious and terribly harmful foodstuffs are passed as quality goods.

What is however most surprising is that this report could not even cause a few ripples in our social and political life. But was not it a subject that ought to turn hell and heaven upside down? Such unconcern for what constitutes our daily food is rather surprising. Specially so when the Bangalees have a reputation of organising violent protests on almost every pretext. Is it because the manufacturers of spurious foods are not easily identifiable and quantifiable — a sort of faceless bugs or evils? That should even be a more compelling reason for agitation. After aU it is a more direct threat to our health. People have the right to buy the quantity and quality

worth their money.

It is not just a clear case of cheating but something more in that some profitmongers are resorting to practices that are bound to tell very adversely on the nation’s health. That an overwhelming proportion of children — 93 per cent to be precise — suffer from malnutrition and the population is recording a stunted growth is shocking enough. The intake of nutritious and balanced food eludes the majority of our population. Now if the little they can make available for themselves is further damaged by chemical contamination and adulteration, what chance do they stand in maintaining sound physiques — and therefore sound minds? The people who are committing such criminal offences — their number however is not likely to be very large — are the enemies of the nation. Their products are posing a potent threat to our national health to the extent that this nation is now manifestly sliding down the road — both intellectually and physically. Children are growing up with a low level of intelligence.

When such is the stake, how can the people and the government fail to notice the myriad bizarre methods of making look-alike but limit-lessly harmful stuffs? It seems we Bangalees are prone to give misplaced priorities to issues. The points where our manufacturing ex-pertise has been deliberately undermined and made culpable are identifiable. But nobody takes the issue seriously to bring the sector in order. We have forgotten that If manufacturing spurious items is criminal, it is no less so to overlook the practice. Par ticularly when someone's job is to ensure quality and thereby the standard of life of the people. When our products are exported, they have to comply certain standards before reaching foreign markets and consumers. The same is true for our people. Standards may somewhat vary but not beyond a limit.

Now hazardous and toxic foodstuffs get marketed because the government is not very keen to enforce the standards and the people too are less aware of the slow but sure poisoning they are being subjected to. People must

come forward to resist such criminalities. Consumers' organisations. citizens’ groups must be formed without any political considerations to exert pressure through launching a social campaign. That is the first condition to take on the manufacturers of adulterated foods. Ensuring quality will then automatically follow its normal course. It will certainly call for revamping the existing monitoring and testing process. The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute (BSTI) has been given almost an impossible Job to do. When it knows full well that it can hardly make a dent into the mountainous manufacturing and marketing chaos, the propensity and temptation — at least for some employees — are to exploit the scope for manoeuvring. And if that is for some unearned monetary gains, what’s the harm? A Job half done is virtually not done at all. It may create more problems than it solves.

The BSTI is no exception to this rule. It tests the samples supplied by the concerned manufacturers. That is far from ideal. What It

should do is to collect samples of products on a random basis and put them to test. But the office of the BSTI stands a witness that with Its present staff strength, it can hardly perform such a demanding duty. Then there is no other alternative to this. Not only will this office have district branches but also will strive to carry on tests on every food item in the market. — maintaining a high standard of reputation without giving the slightest scope for suspicion about its integrity. Any manufacturer failing to

comply with the specific standard, must be meted out exemplary punishment which is th* best detarrent against adulteration oF fcod

We cannot forget that by not taking on the corrupt manufacturers, the government is giving a wrong signal to all the manufacturers. The genuine companies suffer the worst in the process. Their profit margin perhaps takes a reverse turn. So there Is an all pervasive damage which this poor nation can hardly afford. To stem the rot, the authorities, manufacturers and consumers right groups should sit together from time to time — maybe monthly — to review the market situation. They can thus decide the needed action to correct market failings.