The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

Speakers at a seminar at Bangladesh Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) in the city yesterday said food safety is an alarming issue in Bangladesh in terms of ensuring the security of public health.

The Institute of Food Science Technology (IFST) organised the seminar titled "Meeting International Standards for Food and Drug - A Challenge for Bangladesh", said a press release.

The speakers said use of various industrial color, preservatives, additives, indiscriminate use of pesticides and antibiotics has brought concern not only for the authorities, but the food scientists and general public as well.

They said the recent development in export of shrimp, pickles, fresh vegetables are causing concern in foreign countries due to the presence of unacceptable limit of nitrofuran metabolites, chloramphenicol, mycotoxin, sudan dye, melachite green and residual pesticides in imported consignments from Bangladesh to EU.

SM Wahiduzzaman, Secretary of Science and ICT Ministry, and S Ataur Rahman, Secretary of Fisheries and Livestock Ministry, and MA Fiaz, Principal of Dhaka Medical College, attended the seminar.

BCSIR Chairman Prof Dr Choudhury Mahmood Hasan presided over the seminar while IFST Director Dr KM Formuzul Haque was the coordinator.

According to BCSIR release, the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) started functioning as an institute of the BCSIR from July 1983 and since then it has been involved in detection of residual pesticides in selected agricultural products and antibiotics, chloramphenicol and mixotoxin.

It is also collecting valuable data and providing analytical service to various organizations and individuals at home and abroad under different projects, the release says.