Food adulteration and consumer awareness in Dhaka City, 1995-2011.
We conducted this study to investigate the magnitude of food adulteration during 1995-2011 and consumer awareness in Dhaka city. We reviewed results of food sample testing by Public Health Food Laboratory of Dhaka City Corporation, Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution, Consumers Association of Bangladesh publications, reports from lay press, including those on mobile magistrate court operations. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 96 residents of Dhaka city, using a structured questionnaire in 2006. The overall proportion of food samples adulterated decreased during 2001-2005, and 40-54% of daily-consumed food was adulterated during 1995-2011. More than 35 food items were commonly adulterated. Consumers considered expiry date and quality or freshness as the best criteria while buying packaged and open food items respectively; only 11 (12%) respondents considered approval of regulatory authority for buying packaged food items. More than half of the food consumed in Dhaka city is adulterated, which warrants actions by the Government, the industry, and the consumers.
James P. Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh.
Sharifa
S
Nasreen
icddr,b, GPO Box 128, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh.
Tahmeed
T
Ahmed
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001364:Awareness; D001459:Bangladesh; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D019649:Food Industry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
Adulterants; Bangladesh; Consumer awareness; Food adulteration; Food hazard; Food safety; Temporal trend