Roni Akand Special Correspondent Joypurhat:

State Minister for Public Administration and Food Ministry Abdul Bari has said that ensuring healthy and safe food in the market is very important for protecting public health. He said that the health risks of people are increasing due to the sale of open edible oil. Therefore, all the parties concerned must play a responsible and leading role from their respective positions to ensure adulteration-free and quality packaged edible oil in the market.

He said these things as the chief guest at the district advocacy meeting organized on the role of local stakeholders in stopping the sale of open edible oil at the conference room of Joypurhat district administration this Friday morning.

The meeting was organized by the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority and sponsored by the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh. The Joypurhat district administration provided overall support in this.

The meeting was addressed by Deputy Commissioner Al Mamun Mia, District Council Administrator and District BNP Senior Joint Convener Masud Rana Pradhan, Police Superintendent Shahnaz Begum, Bangladesh Food Safety Authority Consultant and Founding Chairman of National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute Mushtaq Hasan Md. Iftikhar, Professor of the Institute's Pathology and Research Department Dr. Sohel Reza Chowdhury, District Food Safety Officer Sumaiya Afrin Jinia, District BNP Convener Golzar Hossain, Joint Convener Abdul Wahab and Joypurhat Press Club President Abu Bakar Siddique and other officials at various levels.

The speakers highlighted the various disadvantages of selling open edible oil and its potential health risks. At the same time, they emphasized on ensuring 100% packaged edible oil in the market to protect the health of the common people.

The speakers said that edible oil is an important part of people's daily diet. If its quality and safe storage cannot be ensured, it can have a negative impact on public health. Since it is difficult to ensure the quality, storage and management of open oil, it is necessary to play an aware and responsible role in this regard by the concerned traders, producers, administration and consumers.

The meeting emphasized the need to strengthen administrative surveillance to stop the sale of open edible oil in local markets, to make traders aware and to encourage consumers to use packaged and quality edible oil.

Senior officials of the district administration, police administration officials, representatives of the Food Safety Authority and representatives of various local business organizations were present in the meeting.