Health concern over drum sales

Salesperson Azhar Ali was pouring edible oil in a bottle from a blue large drum on the second floor of the Karwanbazar kitchen market following a consumer's demand.

Consumers in need of oil in bulk, especially for hotels and restaurants, prefer buying it from drums to get cheaper than the prices of the bottled ones," he said.

Mr Ali disclosed this to the FE last week.

Upon identifying harmful effects of loose oil, industries ministry issued an executive order to phase out bulk soybean oil sold in drums by 01 July 2021.

On 02 June 2022, it extended the timeline to stop loose soybean sales by 31 June 2022 and palm oil by December 31, but to no avail. The deadlines were missed.

The last unofficial deadline to stop the practice was 31 January 2024, but that too was also missed.

Industries secretary Zakia Sultana said there was no scope to issue a fresh deadline.

"Considering global crisis and small miller survival, we have allowed them to take preparation as well as not to put pressure on consumers," she said.

Large industries have already shifted to bottled and pouch edible oil, while small ones are in the process of complying with the government's directives, according to Ms Sultana.

AHM Shafiquzzaman, director general of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, said several deadlines were missed on the subterfuge of a price hike of the item.

Health ground should get priority over this as the item is consumed regularly, he added.

"We're working as auxiliary forces of industries ministry to stop the practice in the city and elsewhere, including Barishal, Jhalakathi and Pahartali of Chattogram," cited Mr Zaman.

Once the practice stops, mill owners would not be able to cheat consumers selling palm oil in the name of soybean oil.

"We've tested some samples of such edible oil in drums and found those without vitamin A fortification but there is no way to trace the manufacturers."

In 2013, the government formulated and implemented the 'Vitamin 'A' Fortification in Edible Oil Act', which could not be implemented properly for rampant supply of bulk oil in drums.

Those drums are non-food-graded and usually used for storing chemicals, lubricant, Mobil or other products.

There are no washing plants of such drums and those often reused frequently. In an inspection by mobile court, insects and dead mice were identified inside the drum of edible oils.

Dr Rina Rani Paul, programme manager, Large Scale Food Fortification (LSFF) Country Advocacy Bangladesh, National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, suggested the government's intervention in such drum sales of edible oil for public-health safety.

Loose oil sold in drums is severely unhealthy and is prone to adulteration, according to her. "Such unhealthy edible oil leaves people vulnerable to developing various non-communicable diseases (NCDs)."

Reazul Haque, deputy director (CM), Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), said they sat with the business association in Dhaka's Moulvibazar wholesale market to sensitise them to stop drum sales of edible oil.

"We hold a meeting with the business association on Tuesday, requesting them not to sell bulk edible oil in drums after their recent stocks finished."

The BSTI would operate mobile courts and go for strict surveillance in the next phase, he said. "We'll sit with millers too to alarm them in the next course of action in case of non-compliance with the act."

Ashek Mahfuz, Portfolio Lead for Large Scale Food Fortification (LSFF) and Value Chain, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), government should not hesitate to enforce the law by consulting the millers.

"More than three years have passed since 2022 on excuse of National Election, Ramadan and Eid-ul Azha but the government is yet to instruct the millers to stop the practice immediately."

Some millers said they were ready to phase out, but there must be a clear government instruction for all to ensure a level-playing field.

Some 60-70 per cent mills are ready to phase out from bulk to pouch or bottled edible oil.

He suggested that the government give a fresh deadline to enforce the law strictly.

ABM Zubair, executive director of advocacy group PROGGA, said safe edible oil was imperative for public health and combat nutrition deficiencies.

Drum oil either sold without vitamin fortification or not in proper amount of vitamin 'A' has high chances of adulteration by vested quarters.

He said repetitive use of same oil could be poisonous in non-food graded drums, calling for a halt to this practice and executing state directives to this end.

Mustak Hassan Md Iftekhar, founding chairman of Bangladesh Food Safety Authority, said the government could support the millers to this transition by offering incentives for the sake of public health.

Some of the millers need capital to install the machinery for bottling or pouching.

Mr Iftekhar said public awareness was also necessary as bulk oil was selling at Tk 10-15 less than the bottled one's.

He also suggested necessary steps for vitamin 'D' fortification of oil through incentivising traders to tackle the outbreak of NCDs in the country.

According to the National Micronutrient Survey 2011-12, one out of five pre-school children suffer from vitamin 'A' deficiency, while two out of five children suffer from vitamin 'D' deficiency.

Again, a 2017 ICDDR,B study shows 65 per cent of the total edible oil sold in Bangladesh is marketed in drums. Of them, 59 per cent do not contain any degree of vitamin 'A' fortification and 34 per cent is poorly fortified.

Only 7.0 per cent of the bulk oil sold in drums meets the standards as per the law.

Abu Ahmed Shamim, associate scientist, James P Grant School of Public Health, assumes that the situation has improved with an increase in per-capita income and people's purchasing power of healthy foods.

Vitamin 'A' deficiency causes physiological issues like blindness and maternal death during pregnancy, while vitamin 'D' deficiency causes rickets and increases chances of developing heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes and other NCDs.

"Our neighbouring country, India, has controlled the sale of edible oil in drums by supplying it through lorries in bulk and introducing containers up to 25 litres."

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