Mentioning that the sale of bulk edible oil in unhealthy drums poses a threat to public health, PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress), a research and advocacy organization, urged people to stop selling of loose edible oil in unhealthy drums to ensure the nutritional quality of edible oil.

PROGGA expressed their concern at an event marking the World Nutrition Day 2024, according to a press release issued on Monday.

World Nutrition Day will be observed on Tuesday.

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The importance of vitamin fortified edible oil is immense in combating nutritional deficiency and improving public health.

However, the sale of bulk edible oil in unhealthy drums poses a threat to public health as well as works as a barrier to the proper implementation of the 2013 Vitamin Fortification in Edible Oil Act, it said.

According to research conducted by ICDDR, B in 2017, 65% of the total edible oil sold in Bangladesh is marketed in drums, of which, 59% does not contain any degree of vitamin-A fortification and 34% is poorly fortified.

Considering the situation, the Ministry of Industry (MoInd) issued an executive order to phase out bulk soybean oil sold in drums by July 2022 and bulk palm oil sold in drums by December 2022.

However, this order has yet to be effectively implemented. Bulk edible oil marketed in drums has the potential to adulterate,and the reuse of non-food grade plastic drums can severely contaminate the edible oil.

ABM Zubair, Executive Director of PROGGA said, “Combating country-wide micronutrient deficiency, the government has already enacted the Vitamin ‘A’ fortification in the Edible Oil Act. In order to ensure the nutritional quality of edible oil, the sale of loose edible oil in unhealthy drums should be stopped.”

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According to the National Micronutrient Survey 2019-20, 50.9% of children aged 06-59 months and 7.5% of non-lactating or non-pregnant women suffer from Vitamin ‘A’ deficiency.

Vitamin ‘A’ deficiency causes physiological issues like blindness, maternal death during pregnancy, etc.