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Pran Turmeric Powder

Test at govt lab too detects lead

Sohel Parvez
The Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) has detected extremely high level of lead in Pran's turmeric powder on sale on the local market.
The detected level — between 40 parts per million (ppm) and 55 ppm — far exceeds the permissible limit of 2.5 ppm set by the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BST1).
"We have collected samples of Pran's turmeric from different markets recently to
check the presence of lead. We have done this in greater public interest," BCSIR Chairman AI Mustafa told The Daily Star Thursday, confirming the detection.
"After a certain level, it [lead] is quite injurious to health," he said.
The BCSIR, however, is yet to make the report public. Mustafa said they would share the test results with the commerce ministry soon.
The findings come just weeks after the US
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Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found as high as 53 ppm of lead in the turmeric powder that Pran exported to the US.
The FDA warned consumers that they should avoid the product on health grounds.
"Lead can accumulate in the body over time. Too much [of it] can cause health problems, including delayed mental and physical development and learning deficiencies. Pregnant women, infants and young children especially should avoid exposure to lead," the FDA said last month.
Following the FDA detection, four stores in New York, Dallas and Detroit recalled the turmericpowder.
Pran, however, chose to turn a blind eye to the detection. It repeatedly insisted its turmeric powder on the domestic market did not contain excessive lead and maintained it would not recall the product.
The BCSIR collected samples of the powder from four markets in Dhaka and Savar. It carried
out tests in two methods - testing the samples separately, and mixing it with those collected from different markets.
The tests show the powder contains 40 ppm to 55 ppm of lead, sources said.
Another test by the BCSIR shows similar results. Retail superstore chain Shwapno initiated the test in the wake of the FDA warning and the recall in the US market.
Tests of two samples of Pran's 200 gram and 500 gram turmeric powder packs show the spice contains 57 ppm lead. One sample of a 250 gram pack contained 43 ppm lead, according to the sources.
Sabbir Hasan Nasir, executive director of Shwapno, said: “We are returning Pran's turmeric after the test results. We are also considering testing spices of other brands. We will not sell anything risky to human health."
Experts say lead can enter the product at any stage from cultivation to processing, but the use of colouring ingredients may be a major factor.
Contacted, Pran Director (marketing)
Kamruzzaman Kamal said he was unaware of the BCSIR tests.
"We will stop processing and marketing the spice if such a high level of lead is found," he told this newspaper yesterday, adding that his company would recall the product if the test reports showed high level of lead.
He, however, could not say when the recall would start.
Asked why the level of lead in samples collected from the market was higher than in those provided by Pran to the BSTI and BCSIR for tests, he said it was not clear to him.
"We do not mix anything in the turmeric powder," he claimed.
One industry insider told The Daily Star earlier that in some cases companies provide "special samples" to the BSTI for tests. These samples are "specially made".
Kamruzzaman also claimed that Pran was recalling from the local market the product of the batches in which the FDA found excessive lead.