Fish Marketing Status with Formalin Treatment in Bangladesh

Abstract

<p>Fish possess an extremely strong cultural attachment considering irreplaceable animal food source in Bangladeshi diet beset with nutritional importance. It has been getting endangered by abominable practice of formalin in marketing leaded by some deceitful traders counting profit beyond ethical attainment and endangering public health. This paper outlines the formalin extremity with a several years practice in fish marketing involving almost 5% city markets with a petty heterogeneity comprising contrastive and potential strategy with formalin access. Regardless, this formalin corruption affiliated with deleterious health aggravations both for traders and consumers, comes out with impotency in workforce contravening economical influence on overall national prosperity.</p>

The extent and magnitude of formalin adulteration in fish sold in domestic markets of Bangladesh: a literature review

“…Bangladesh has been suffering from rampant food adulteration for the last few decades which causes numerous deaths along with countless physical illnesses (Ali, 2013a;Goon et al, 2014). At present, illegal use of formalin and other chemicals in foods is considered to be a major public health problem in Bangladesh (Ali, 2013b;Rasul, 2013;Goon et al, 2014) and it has been reported that people are now suffering from 'food phobia' (Rasul, 2013). Vegetables, fruits, sweetmeats, milk, fish, bakery products, puffed rice, cereals, soybean oil, mustard oil, butter oil and other foods are adulterated in different ways with various chemicals (Hossain, 2011;Khan, 2013).…”

“…Vegetables, fruits, sweetmeats, milk, fish, bakery products, puffed rice, cereals, soybean oil, mustard oil, butter oil and other foods are adulterated in different ways with various chemicals (Hossain, 2011;Khan, 2013). A common practice among food vendors is to spray fish, fruits and vegetables with chemical preservatives including formalin to boost their lifespan and appearance (Khan, 2013;Goon et al, 2014). Dishonest businessmen are inventing newer and newer techniques of adulteration, and thus carbide, formalin, textile colours, artificial sweeteners, DDT, urea, and so forth.…”

“…are used for this purpose (Hossain, 2011;Khan, 2013). Usually formalin is applied on fish for preservation, calcium carbide on fruits to ripen, urea to whiten puffed rice and textile dyes to beautify sweetmeats (Hossain, 2011;Khan, 2013;Goon et al, 2014). These harmful chemicals are used to keep these products fresh which are being openly sold in supermarkets (Hussain and Sullivan, 2013;Goon et al, 2014).…”

“…Usually formalin is applied on fish for preservation, calcium carbide on fruits to ripen, urea to whiten puffed rice and textile dyes to beautify sweetmeats (Hossain, 2011;Khan, 2013;Goon et al, 2014). These harmful chemicals are used to keep these products fresh which are being openly sold in supermarkets (Hussain and Sullivan, 2013;Goon et al, 2014). Formalin consumption causes inflammation, ulceration and necrosis of the linings of the mouth, throat and gastrointestinal tract and in case of chronic exposure, formalin has the potential to cause cancers and other diseases (e.g.…”

“…childhood asthma and skin diseases etc.) (Wooster et al, 2005;Tang et al, 2009;Begum et al, 2011;Goon et al, 2014).…”