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Food Adulteration by Formalin

10-yr jail for culprits

M Rahman
The cabinet yesterday okayed in principle the Formalin Control Act-2013 that would allow judges to punish food adulterators with up to 10 years' imprisonment and Tk 5 lakh in fines.
Despite a ban on its import since November last year, formalin is still smuggled into the country and traders use it to preserve food and other things. Worried over formalin-tainted food items, consumers still have little confidence when they buy fruits, fish and other food items.
Cabinet Secretary M Musharaff Hossain Bhuiyan said widespread misuse of formalin, a toxic agent that preserves tissues in labs, was the reason behind the proposed law.
The act keeps provisions for district and upazila level committees to control import, production, transport, storing and use of formalin, he told reporters at the secretariat after the weekly cabinet meeting.
According to the proposed act if any person possesses formalin or any elements and equipment used in producing formalin without a licence could be convicted and
FROM PAGE 16 sentenced to up to 10 years in jail or a fine of Tk 5 lakh or both.
However, if a formalin licence holder fails to comply with any condition of the licence, the person could be awarded a maximum seven years' jail, the draft of the proposed act said.
A maximum of five years' jail term could be awarded to a person who provokes someone to commit offences under this law and in case an offence committed, the offender and the
instigator would have the same punishment.
The proposed act also has a salient provision that if any false case is lodged under the act, the complainant of such case could be sentenced for up to four years in jail.
Once it becomes a law, the government would form a committee to prepare rules for providing formalin licences, said an official of the commerce ministry.
The state would reserve the right to issue licences for importing and producing
formalin but deputy commissioner of districts would issue licences for carrying, storing, selling and using formalin.
Additional Secretary of the commerce ministry Monoj Kumar Roy said, “Early this year the commerce ministry prepared the preliminary draft of the law and changes were brought three times after consulting with stakeholders."
The proposed law would be sent to parliament for enactment.