The fish sellers of the capital are cheating the buyers through a new method

The Dhaka Times Desk Only a year and a half ago, the town hall market in Mohammadpur area of the capital was declared as a formalin-free market. But a recent mobile court raid found that formalin is still being used to preserve perishable food items from rotting. Almost everyone knows how threatening this system is to public health.

The mobile court conducted an operation in one of the most important markets of the capital on Sunday. During the raid they seized about four maunds of formalinized fish which were later destroyed. The fishmongers of this market in the town hall have developed a novel method of keeping fish fresh by mixing betel juice, cloth dye and formalin together.

According to the mobile court, the fishmongers apply the juice of rind on the fish, which makes the fish look shiny and fresh. At night it looks even brighter under the lights. Then the color of the cloth is given to the kanko of the fish, as a result of which the buyer can check the kanko and see that the fish is fresh. And there is formalin to prevent the fish from rotting. Thus, a buyer is being misled into buying fresh fish from the market. More than that, as a result, consumers are at great health risk.

It is also known from the sources of the mobile court that it has been possible to identify all these chemical elements correctly through their various testing equipment. But the fish sellers could not be arrested. They fled before the campaign started. But the local police station has been directed to take legal action against these dishonest traders.

From the sources of the expedition, it is also known that the presence of formalin in a food product above one decimal point means that it is seriously harmful to public health. But this expedition shows that different types of fish have levels of formalin ranging from 0.53 to 0.60. In the case of fruits, this level of intensity is higher. As a result of the arrest, various results of the seller found formalin ranging from 7.53 to 9.20 levels. It goes without saying how harmful it is to the human body.

In order to get rid of these unhealthy foods, everyone, including the law enforcement agencies, must be more aware. Otherwise, no one is safe from this all-consuming formalin.