A joint mobile court found evidence of the use of toxic jelly in shrimps, during a drive in the kitchen market of Dhaka's Mirpur-1 on Monday. The mobile court, however, did not hand out any fines or any other punishment, instead opted to let the guilty traders off with just warnings.
As part of an initiative taken by the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority, the Department of Agricultural Extension, the Food Planning and Monitoring Unit of the Ministry of Food, the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, the Department of Livestock Services, the Department of Fisheries, the Dhaka North City Corporation, and the Department of Agricultural Marketing conducted the drive.
The drive was headed by Bangladesh Food Safety Authority’s Food Safety Monitoring and Enforcement Wing Director Sahadeva Chandra Saha.
The joint mobile court conducted the drive around noon. Officials of the Department of Fisheries found in a shrimp shop that although the shrimps arranged on top of the cartons were of good quality, there were adulterated shrimps hidden below.
Two cartons of adulterated shrimp were seized from the shop. As the owner of the shrimp shop was absent, the mobile court reprimanded the market authority over the incident.
Dhaka District Fisheries Officer BM Mustafa Kamal said, “We had information that food items, including meat and fish, were being sold in Mirpur in an unsafe manner. While conducting the drive, we found many irregularities.
“Adulterated shrimp injected with jelly was found, which is harmful to human health. Eating such shrimp can cause liver damage, cancer, and stomach pain. Moreover, the weight of shrimp also increases, so the customers end up being cheated out of their money.”
However, The Business Post found that no one was fined during the mobile court drive. When asked, the official said that during the drive, the owner was absent in most of the shops.
"For the time being, we are mostly handing out warnings," BM Mustafa Kamal said.
Mirpur Traders Cooperative Society President Kazi Raihan Tapan said, “The mobile court has seized goods from shops which were found violating the rules, and reprimanded them.
"We will discuss the matter with the traders and make them aware of the rules and regulations. The Food Safety Authority has assured us their full cooperation."
