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Dhaka Street Foods Contain Harmful Bacteria, Study Reveals
A recent study has found that popular street foods in Dhaka, including chotpoti, chola-muri, sandwiches, sugarcane juice, aloe vera juice, and mixed salad, are contaminated with harmful bacteria.
The findings were presented at a seminar on Sunday at the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) conference room. Researchers identified the presence of E. coli, Salmonella, and Vibrio bacteria in these widely consumed street foods.
Latiful Bari, head of the Food Nutrition and Agriculture Research Laboratory at the University of Dhaka, presented the alarming results.
The study revealed significant bacterial contamination levels. Each plate of chotpoti contained an average of 72 million E. coli, 750 Salmonella, and 750 Vibrio bacteria. Chola-muri had 740,000 E. coli, 2,000 Salmonella, and 3 million Vibrio bacteria. Sandwiches were found to contain 2,000 E. coli, 2,000 Salmonella, and 1.6 million Vibrio bacteria. Sugarcane juice showed 65,000 E. coli, 17,000 Salmonella, and 13,000 Vibrio bacteria. Aloe vera juice contained 56,000 E. coli, 1.8 million Salmonella, and 14,000 Vibrio bacteria. Mixed salad had 1,800 E. coli, 510 Salmonella, and 300 Vibrio bacteria.
These bacteria are known to cause various stomach diseases, including diarrhea. The study indicated that out of every 10,000 people consuming these street foods, two become ill from E. coli, four from Salmonella, and one from Vibrio bacteria.
Researchers collected 450 samples from street food vendors across 37 regions in Dhaka North and South City Corporations. The contamination was attributed to factors such as contaminated water, dirty towels, unclean hands, and dusty environments.
Latiful Bari highlighted the lack of health and sanitation knowledge among street food vendors as a significant issue. He stressed the need for training vendors and implementing daily monitoring to ensure food safety.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has forecasted light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty winds at most places across the Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions. Some areas may experience moderately heavy to very heavy rainfall, according to their latest weather bulletin released on Thursday.
Day and night temperatures are expected to remain nearly unchanged across the country.
The highest rainfall in the country over the past 24 hours was recorded in Kumarkhali, with 104mm of rain by 6 a.m. on Thursday.
The axis of the monsoon trough extends from India’s Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal to Assam, passing through Bangladesh, with one of its associated troughs stretching into the North Bay of Bengal.
The monsoon remains active over Bangladesh and moderate to strong over the North Bay region.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has forecasted that the mild heat wave currently affecting parts of the country, including the capital, is expected to subside in most areas within the next 24 hours, starting from 9 am today.
“A mild heat wave is sweeping across the divisions of Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Mymensingh, and Sylhet, as well as the districts of Jashore, Chuadanga, and Kushtia. It is likely to ease in most regions,” the department reported.
In addition, BMD predicted light to moderate rainfall or thundershowers, accompanied by temporary gusty winds, across most of Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions. Some areas are expected to experience moderate to very heavy rainfall.
Temperatures across the country may drop by 1-2 degrees Celsius during both day and night.
On Monday, Dinajpur in the Rangpur division recorded the country’s highest temperature at 38.6°C, while Bandarban in the Chattogram division saw the lowest temperature at 24.6°C early today.
Meanwhile, rainfall recorded in the past 24 hours, ending at 6 am today, reached 66 mm in Nikli of Dhaka Division.
The sunset in Dhaka is at 5:53 pm today, and sunrise is expected at 5:49 am tomorrow.
Two separate murder cases were filed today in connection with the deaths of a private service holder and a Madrasa student during the anti-discrimination student movement.
The first case was lodged by Ridwan Ahmed with Panchlaish police station, accusing former ministers Dr. Hasan Mahmud, Barrister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Naufel, and 127 others for the death of his nephew Sujan, 14. Sujan, the son of Belal Hossain from Beramara village in Noakhali’s Sadar Thana, was a student at Al Jamirul Hayat Madrasa in the city’s Chandgaon area. He was fatally shot in the Muradpur area on July 18.
The second case was filed by Jamal Uddin at Doublemooring police station, accusing 225 individuals, including Dr. Hasan Mahmud and Education Minister Barrister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Naufel, for the killing of his elder brother Alam, a private service holder, on August 5.
