STAFF CORRESPONDENT

The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority detected adulteration, contamination, and low nutritional content in 571 of 1,713 tested food samples (33.3 percent) in the 2024–25 fiscal year.

The samples included pickles, sauces, chips, puffed rice, fruit drinks, mustard oil, butter, soybean oil, dalda, and honey, among others, said Mohammad Mostafa, member (public health and nutrition) of the BFSA at an event yesterday.

The BFSA organised the event at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council to mark National Food Safety Day 2026.

The samples were collected and tested following proper regulations, documentation, and use of accredited laboratories, Mostafa said.

He explained that adulteration includes adding prohibited substances to mislead consumers or for financial gain, such as urea in chilli or non-food-grade colours to enhance appearance.

Contamination refers to harmful substances introduced during processing or from environmental sources, such as trans-fats. Quality deviations occur when products contain too little or too much of a required ingredient, such as edible oils lacking the prescribed Vitamin A content, he said.

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