Scientists and academics at a seminar at Pirganj upazila in Rangpur have stressed on preventing food adulteration and improving nutrition status of the population for building a healthier and developed nation, reports BSS.
They expressed the views at the seminar on “Food adulteration and its impact on health and nutrition” organised by Rangpur Regional Station of Bangladesh Institute of Research and Training on Applied Nutrition (BIRTAN) at its conference room in Pirganj upazila town on Sunday.
Senior Scientific Officer and Regional Head of BIRTAN at its Rangpur regional station situated at Pirganj Agriculturist Dr. Md. Sadequl Islam presided over the seminar moderated by its Scientific Officer Md. Marufur Rahman. Fifty people, including government and NGO officials, heads of educational institutions, religious leaders, leaders of trade bodies and journalists from different upazilas of Rangpur, Gaibandha and Dinajpur districts, participated in the event.
Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Professor of the Department of Food Processing and Preservation of Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU) Dr. Maruf Ahmed delivered the keynote presentation.
Chairman of the Department of Food Engineering and Technology of HSTU Professor Dr. Md. Sazzat Hossain Sarker attended the seminar as the keynote discussant. In his welcome speech, Dr Sadequl said BIRTAN is conducting research on food and nutrition issues, training and workshop and broadcasting necessary messages through the mass media aiming at contributing to improve nutritional status of the people.
“The regional BIRTAN station is conducting research on meeting nutrition of the Santal and other small ethnic groups of Barind region from agricultural resources and impacts of vegetable gardening at homes and nutrition knowledge on malnourished people,” he said.
In the question-answer session, the experts answered various questions asked by the participants on food adulteration, meaning and availability of nutritious foods, safe foods and other related issues. Terming the adulterated foods as silent killers, Dr. Ahmed put importance on conducting more research for concretely identifying adulterated foods.
“If the gross domestic product (GDP) continues to increase, the country will not attain the status of the developed world without ensuring safe foods free from adulterations. So, it is very important to increase awareness about this,” he said. Dr. Sazzaat said, “A country will become developed more and more when it’s population will eat nutritious and safe food. Only then, a country will become a sustainably developed nation.”
