Reportedly, for last few years in succession fruit traders are engaged in the dangerous practice of spraying chemicals on fruits and even injecting the same on them to give these a very premature ripe look to enhance their appeal to consumers. But such business motive could be fatal for those who consume such fruits because the chemicals used are called to be carcinogenic for human beings and even animals. They could cause cancer and also other ailments. There are reasons to be apprehensive that the hazardous practice is continuing in the continuing fruit season as law enforcement proceedings against the same are not noted.
A mobile court is seen fining food caterers and also food producers of different kinds. Unfortunately, these activities have not extended the fruit sellers and this is a very serious oversight on their part because hazardous ripening of fruit poses a serious public health threat.
It is unthinkable that official authorities who should be worried about the threat to public health on this score could remain indifferent and uncaring. The news about ripening fruits in a health hazarding way may have led to a crackdown on such fruit sellers by now to eliminate their harming potential and then to create disincentives for such action in the future. However, it is better to be late than never.
The Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institution (BSTI) are normally engaged in testing all kinds of consumer products to settle on their standard or safety. Fruits cannot be outside their authority and range of activities. Clearly, they have the powers to force the distributors of such fruits to open their shops for their collection of samples and also for testing of the same. If the BSTI authorities do this in relation to a number of large fruit sellers, then, it is believed; others would get the message and take steps on their own to stop this dangerous practice out of an anticipation of facing punitive measures for doing otherwise. Therefore, the BSTI needs to turn its attention to this need immediately.