Supermarket owners said on Saturday that they are facing immense problems in running their business due to frequent harassment by mobile courts of different agencies monitoring food safety practices.
Such harassment by mobile courts has been causing adverse impacts on the supermarket business, adding to the operation costs and making it difficult for them to expand business, they said.
The state-run Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA), Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), city corporations, Dhaka Deputy Commissioner's Office and others have been conducting regular mobile court drives in the supermarkets in the name of food safety, they said.
They also urged the authorities concerned to form a uniform testing lab and certification agency to save the supermarkets from such harassment.
The observations came at a view exchange meeting on 'Supermarkets and Safe Food: Prospects and Challenges' at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) office in the city.
The Bangladesh Supermarket Owners Association (BSOA) organised the view exchange meeting with the media, with BSOA president Niaz Rahim in the chair.
Since 2001, Niaz Rahim said, the country's supermarkets have been relentlessly trying to ensure that consumers get quality products.
The chain stores collect mostly packaged products from various certified national and multinational companies after checking the markers of quality, manufacturing and expiry dates, he said.
So, the supermarkets are not responsible for the adulterated products supplied by a company, certified by the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), he said.
Mr Rahim also pointed out that supermarkets cannot open every sealed packet, bottle or container to test for quality.
The government agencies have the responsibility to ensure quality of a product at the production stage, said Mr Rahim, also the chairman of Rahimafrooz Superstores Ltd. (Agora).
He urged the government to form a uniform testing lab and certification agency to save chain stores from all kinds of harassments.
He also called on journalists to highlight the positive sides of supermarkets, as the media can play a key role in changing the perception of the consumers.
Chief executive officer (CEO) of Meena Bazar Shaheen Khan said the association offered to take steps to test quality of all foods at the Science Laboratory, but the BSTI says the laboratory is not authorised to do so.
He said if the government designates certain authorities to check quality of food items, the supermarkets are ready to ask the suppliers to test their food from there.
Former agriculture secretary Anwar Faruqe said the chain stores are working hard to ensure food safety and quality of products so that consumers can get the best products.
He said the environment of traditional kitchen markets have been worsening day by day in the country.
The chain stores have been an alternative destination for consumers, especially for women, he added.
He said most mobile court drives are conducted before big festivals like Eid intentionally.
He also suggested filling up the product basket of the chain shops from their own sources.
BSTI additional director Reazul Haque said the institute has 4000 national standards, of which BSTI certification is mandatory for only 194 products.
And 80 of them are food products, he added.
According to the import policy, the BSTI certifies only 55 imported products, he said.
He said they have two committees -- one technical and another divisional for standardisation.
He said the DC office and BSTI jointly conduct mobile courts to ensure quality and safe products for the people.
He also revealed that BSTI has found no formalin in 1800 fruit samples in the last three years.
Md Zakir Hossain, secretary of BSOA, said previously local products had no manufacturing or expiry dates.
"We asked all suppliers to use the dates, barcodes and made it a regular practice," he said.
Munna Rayhan, a journalist of the Daily Ittefaq, said: "Supermarket owners, who are now selling products from their contract growers, should made it public through the media."
He pointed out that if a mobile court fines a super chain, media gets news only what the law enforcers deliver to them.
The owners should employ officials who will be media-friendly and will deliver quick response to newsmen on any incidents which could help remove any misunderstandings, he said.
BARC executive chairman Dr Md Kabir Iqramul Haque spoke as the chief guest while its director (nutrition) Manirul Islam as special guest.
Price Bazar Ltd manager Syed Abdullah Al-Mamun, among others, also spoke on the occasion.
The country has 40 supermarkets with their 130 outlets across the country.
The supermarkets started their journey in the country in 2001.
