Five-year jail for food adulteration

The cabinet has approved a draft law with the provision of imprisonment for a maximum of five years or a fine of Tk 10 lakh or both for irregularities from food production to marketing, including adulteration or corruption.

A cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office on Monday approved the draft of the “Food Production, Storage, Transfer, Transport, Supply, Distribution, and Marketing (Prevention of Harmful Activities) Act 2022”.

Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam briefed reporters at the Secretariat after the meeting.

A person committing an offence under this law will be tried in a safe food court, and no separate court will be required. A mobile court can also hold the trial, if necessary. But in that case, it can sentence an offender to a maximum of two years of imprisonment.

The law states if any perishable food item is seized on suspicion of adulteration or irregularity, it can be sold at auction while a small portion can be kept as a sample. Even if it is not perishable, it should be auctioned within 45 days and the court will keep the money.

If the accused is proven innocent, he will get back the money. Otherwise, the court will give an order on the matter.

It will also be an offence under the law to mix harmful substances during food production; to store food beyond the stipulated time; and to take, transfer, store, exchange, or resell food grain sacks from public warehouses that do not contain the name of the government programme or the distribution sign.

Distributing less food than the prescribed amount under a government programme and selling or distributing without using measurements set by the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution will also be punished.

The cabinet secretary said the draft law is the merger of two acts.

It aims to prevent harmful activities in the production, storage, transfer, transportation, supply, distribution, and marketing of food, he said.

“The law will not be used to control the market, but it will ensure food quality. It will also ensure that no one is doing unethical activities and consumers are not deceived,” added Anwarul.