With a fresh vow to produce quality products and services to survive in the era of globalization, the ‘World Standards Day’ was observed in the country as elsewhere across the globe on Saturday.
This year theme was ‘Shared vision for a better world - Standards for SDGs’. The day is observed every year on October 14 in order to ensure products’ formulation standard and implementation of those standards.
Marking the day, contributions of experts and scientists across the world in developing voluntary standards within standards development organisations were lauded. Like in the past authorities concerned, law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders this year also expressed their firm determination to ensure quality and safe products and foods for all.
But the fact is that contaminated and adulterated food items and other substandard products are still flooding the markets across the country. Organised counterfeiting gangs in different places of the country including capital Dhaka are involved in manufacturing various food item, sophisticated products and even life saving copies of the country’s bestselling medicines.
Make the unscrupulous
businesspeople understand
the offences and curb
it with an iron hand
Besides, a section of unscrupulous traders, in their greed for windfall profit, uses various chemicals, including formalin, in fruits and fish to keep those fresh for long, which adversely affects human health. Although as member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) has been working in formulating and controlling standards in all aspects of production, sales and marketing of products in the country but it has failed to eliminate frauds, criminals and dishonest people yet. Access to safe and quality food and other products is a right of consumers, but people are being deprived of their rights. It is very important to ensure the production of quality products and services in all fields to improve the quality of life of the people.
The authorities concerned will have to ensure quality food and products alongside curbing adulteration and creating awareness among businesspeople against such offences in the country. The industrialists, sellers and consumers will also have to become aware of following and implementing international standards in all fields including business and trade in order to build a developed and prosperous Bangladesh by 2041. Every year many people die having substandard and adulterated foods in our country due to lack of strict vigilance. Apart from BSTI, other government and non-government organisations and people will have to join hands to ensure the quality of products and launch crackdown against the greedy traders.
