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HC orders test of Pran spices

Asks govt to collect samples, send them to lab in 48 hrs

Staff Correspondent
The High Court yesterday ordered the government to find out whether spices marketed by Pran Agro Ltd contain harmful ingredients and report to it in four weeks.
Within 48 hours after the directive, the chairman of Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) and the director of the chemical wing of Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) have to collect samples of Pran chilli, coriander, garlic, ginger and cumin powder from the market and send those for laboratory tests, the court said.
In response to a writ petition, the HC also sought an explanation from government officials concerned as to why their negligence in taking steps for laboratory tests to identify substances, which may endanger public health, in the spices should not be declared illegal.
The health secretary; food secretary; inspector general of police, director general of the Rapid Action Battalion, director general of BSTI and the chairman of BCSIR have been made respondents to the rule.
Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh filed the petition with the HC as public interest litigation in December last year seeking those directives on the government.
The petition was filed following some reports published in The Daily Star and Bangla daily Prothom Alo and Inqilab in November regarding harmful ingredients in powdered spices.
During yesterday's hearing, petitioner's counsel Manzill Murshid told the court that hazardous lead had been found in Pran's exported turmeric powder and so other spices manufactured by the company should also be tested to know if those have harmful ingredients.
In November last year, BCS1R and BSTI detected a high level of lead in Pran's turmeric powder on sale on the local market.
The government labs carried out the tests after US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had detected excessive lead in Pran's exported turmeric powder prompting recalls by some US stores.
Excessive lead can cause health problems, including delayed mental and physical development and learning deficiencies. Pregnant women, infants and young children should avoid exposure to lead, according to FDA.
BSTI in mid-November temporarily cancelled Pran's turmeric powder processing and marketing licence and imposed a ban on the sale of the spice.
Against the backdrop, Pran withdrew the spice from the market.
By the end of December, BSTI withdrew its cancellation of the licence, its Director (Certification Mark) Kamal Prashad Das told The Daily Star. The company had informed the standardisation body that it addressed the problems for which lead was found in the spice.
Das added BSTI would issue a clearance certificate if no harmful element was found in the newly-processed turmeric powder.