Bangladesh, in an effort to curb the huge amount of tampered and unsafe food in the country, passed a law on Monday threatening up to three years' jail and a 300,000-taka ($4,575) fine for anyone selling it.
The government ordered a countrywide crackdown six weeks ago, and had already arrested or fined dozens of people for selling rotten food and items past their sell-by date, police said.
Food inspectors raided food shops, bakeries and restaurants in the capital Dhaka and other cities.
Senior minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan spoke last week of widespread adulteration of items ranging from ice cream and sweets to dishes served in eateries across the country.
"Dishonest traders even use chemicals to ripen bananas and make vegetables to look fresh," said Manwarul Islam, a government employee in Dhaka.
Tariqul Islam, a doctor at a Dhaka clinic, said: "Adulterated foods are to mainly blame for thousands of people, mostly children, falling sick with diarrhoea and dysentery every month across the country, while the old and frail are also vulnerable to food poisoning, resulting in deaths."
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