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Authorities fail to regulate growing street food business

No licence, less monitoring part of the problem
Rokon Uddin
02 Oct 2022 00:00:00 | Update: 02 Oct 2022 03:11:33
Authorities fail to regulate growing street food business
Vendors sell street food in the capital TBP Photo

Cheap street foods meet the demands of people from the lower and lower-middle classes even though their standard, in general, is rather questionable.

The business of low-quality street foods has gone out of control across the country in recent times since they do not need licences and due to the absence of specific laws.

Because of their spiralling demand, small street food shops are opening everywhere in cities and rural areas and their low-quality products are pushing up the number of consumers suffering from different food-related diseases.

The government has so far failed to initiate any strict measures to establish discipline in this sector and improve the quality of food at these shops. Big restaurant and hotel owners have to acquire licences to sell food but there is no law to control the standard and selling of cheap street foods, industry insiders said.

In Dhaka city alone, small eateries and restaurants, fast food shops and shops of local snacks dominate the footpaths in different areas, including Motijheel, Paltan, Arambagh, New Market, Rampura, Khilgaon and Badda areas.

None of them has a licence. They also do not follow proper rules and regulations to maintain the standard of the foods they sell, on spot visits showed.

In most of these shops, cooks use the same edible oil to fry different types of snacks for several days and foods are kept in unhealthy conditions, which poses a serious threat to consumers’ health.

In some places, food is served wrapped in newspapers that contain different chemicals, plates are not cleaned properly and food items become contaminated as they are kept in open and exposed to dust for longer periods.

During a visit, this correspondent found a man named Hasan eating Khichuri with egg curry for lunch at a shop on the footpath in Motijheel.

Responding to a question, he said, “If I go to a restaurant, I would have to spend at least Tk 150 for lunch. Here, even though the food standard and eating conditions are not grand, it’s costing me only Tk 60. Saving money always gets priority over health.”

Marking this year’s National Food Safety Day, research and advocacy organisation PROGGA in a study revealed that Trans Fatty Acid (TFA) or trans-fat is a poisonous food element that increases the risks of heart disease, high blood pressure and other ailments. Its key source is partially hydrogenated oil (PHO), which is well known as Dalda or Banaspati Ghee.

Dalda, made from hydrogenated vegetable oil, is generally used for cooking low-quality baked, fried and processed foods in unhealthy restaurants and roadside shops.

According to the World Health Organization, Bangladesh is among 15 countries where the threat of deaths from heart disease triggered by trans-fat is very high. Trans-fat causes at least 4.41 per cent of heart disease-related deaths in the country.

Guideline ineffective

According to the Bangladesh Hotel and Restaurant Act, food-selling establishments with more than 30 seats are recognised as restaurants. In line with the act, Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has formulated a guideline for restaurants. To make and sell foods, an eatery or restaurant needs to follow 37 directives, which include having a trade licence, a holding certificate from the city corporation, a healthy condition in the kitchen, a functioning toilet, and quality food and service.

BFSA, the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) and other authorities conduct regular drives to check if the restaurants are following the guideline. They also fine or file cases against the establishments in case of violations.

Talking to The Business Post, Bangladesh Restaurant Owners Association Secretary General Imran Hossain said, “We run our restaurants and hotels following the rules and regulations. But the existing law appears to be not the same for everyone. BFSA, DNCRP and other organisations raid and fine our hotels and restaurants.

“But there are no laws to regulate the street shops that sell unhealthy foods and snacks. That’s why they don’t have any obligation to get licences, follow the rules and spend money on the uniforms of employees.”

He added that BFSA once said only trained people will be allowed to set up small food shops but in reality, no measures have been taken yet.

BFSA Member (Food Consumption and Consumer Rights) Md Rezaul Karim told The Business Post that many small and big brand organisations have set up shop and are selling foods without any licence because there is no law that makes acquiring a licence for such business mandatory.

“Street food shops don’t have licences or approvals but we can’t take action against them due to the absence of relevant law. Since the Bangladesh Hotel and Restaurant Act recognises establishments with over 30 seats as restaurants, we formulated the guideline for only such hotels and restaurants,” he said.

“That’s why we can’t monitor or raid the small food shops that have less than 30 seats. The law needs to be amended urgently to make licences mandatory for all food businesses. We have already made the proposal but it has been stuck in the cabinet for a long time,” Karim said.

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