Bangladesh cracks down on toxic fake molasses trade endangering public health

Large quantities of adulterated molasses have flooded markets across Rajshahi region as dozens of home-based factories manufacture the toxic product using sugar, chemicals and even plastic-fuel.

On Wednesday, a joint team of the Directorate of National Consumers' Right Protection and the Rapid Action Battalion conducted drives at several houses in Arani area of Bagha upazila - one of the largest gur-producing belts in the country - and fined five traders Tk 2 lakh for producing and storing adulterated molasses.

About 100 kilograms of equipment and chemicals used to manufacture the fake molasses were seized and destroyed during the operation.

RAB-5 deputy commander major Mostafizur Rahman said that the product being sold as date or sugarcane molasses contained 'not even a trace' of actual date palm sap or sugarcane extract.

'The dishonest traders mix refined sugar with alum, lime, chemical colouring - mostly textile dye - and even gas powder. On top of that, the mixture is cooked burning plastic as fuel,' he said.

He warned that the toxic smoke released from burning plastic contaminates the product and posed severe long-term health risks, especially to infants. 'Plastic fumes alone can cause chronic illnesses,' he added.

Officials said that adulteration in several upazilas had grown a full-scale cottage industry.

'Almost every other household has set up a small illegal molasses factory. This area and parts of Natore now supply a major portion of the country's gur most of which is chemically produced,' major Mostafizur said.

He added that adulterated molasses from Rajshahi and Natore was also being sold widely on social media pages and online marketplaces as 'organic date molasses.'

'Many social media users protested at today's raids because they rely on these illegal supplies. Our next target is identifying the masterminds behind the online distribution chain,' he said.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority's Rajshahi district office found all ten samples tested recently to be adulterated.

District food safety officer Yeamin Hossain said that the samples, collected from ten producers, contained hazardous chemicals including hydrose and detergent.

'We have instructed them to produce pure molasses. We will test again, and only then allow them to supply to the market,' he said.

However, villagers and traders said that adulterated gur had already flooded local markets due to weak monitoring and high profit margins.

Pintu Ali, a producer in Charghat upazila, said that those making pure date molasses had been suffering losses for years.

'It costs Tk 350-360 to make one kilogram of pure date gur, which sells for Tk 380-420. But adulterated gur is selling at Tk 170-220 per kilogram. How can we compete?' he said.

He added that it had become difficult to convince customers that higher prices reflected purity and safety.

Rajshahi Medical College Hospital health expert Shankar K Biswas said that long-term consumption of molasses contaminated with alum, textile dye and plastic fumes could cause kidney damage, liver disease, gastrointestinal disorders and growth problems in children.

He urged the government to enforce stricter monitoring during the winter, when molasses demand is highest.

Ahmed Shafi Uddin, president of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik Rajshahi district unit, said that if the authorities did not dismantle the production chain now, adulterated molasses would spread across the country during the peak season in December-January.

Md Ibrahim Hossain, deputy director at DNCRP Rajshahi Office, told New Age that they fined the five traders for producing adulterated molasses on Wednesday.

'Our drive against adulterated molasses production and distribution will continue,' he added.