Ban on import, sale of coloured lentils

The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has issued a warning regarding the mixing of harmful colours in lentils labelled as “mung dal.”

In a press release on November 2, the BFSA stated that lentils known as “moth” are being artificially coloured yellow to sell as “mung” lentils. The use of tartrazine in lentils is unauthorised and poses various health risks.

Despite importing twice as many moth lentils as mung lentils last fiscal year, moth lentils are rarely available in the market. Over half of the samples of lentils sold as mung lentils were found to contain added colour.

The release emphasised that the unauthorised use, import, processing, storage, supply, or sale of coloured food is punishable under Section 27 of the Safe Food Act, 2013. All food business operators were instructed to refrain from handling coloured lentils. Consumers were advised to verify the purity of mung lentils before purchase.