Food safety has long been a buzzword in Bangladesh with the authorities concerned and other organisations talking a lot about it. Apart from observing the World Food Safety Day with other countries, Bangladesh marks the National Food Safety Day every year with a vow to ensure safe food for all. But how safe the food in Bangladesh is still a big question as food-related illness is widely prevalent in the country. Findings of different research suggest that an estimated 30 million people suffer from food-related illnesses in Bangladesh each year with the most common types of illness being diarrhoeal diseases, followed by enteric or typhoid fever and hepatitis.
Food hygiene i.e. the practice of handling, preparing and storing food to prevent food-related illnesses is the most important component of food safety which is why food safety cannot be attained unless food hygiene is ensured. Bangladesh has adequate legal provisions, which include the Food Safety Act of 2013, several rules and regulations and the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) constituted under the Act to ensure food hygiene. However, the ground reality suggests that food hygiene is compromised at almost every level - from street eateries to expensive posh restaurants. It's no longer a secret. Because of the drives by mobile courts under the Directorate of National Consumers' Right Protection, the entire nation now knows how unhygienic food is served to consumers at so-called top-notch restaurants and eateries. The quality of street food in respect of hygiene is worse for the presence of harmful bacteria in it, which poses a great hygiene concern, particularly because it is consumed mostly by younger people. A study by the BFSA found that popular street food in Dhaka like Chatpati, Fuchka and Jhalmuri contained high levels of E. coli, Salmonella, and Vibrio bacteria.
There are many factors responsible for this sorry state. They include the lack of proper training on the part of the people involved in food preparation and distribution, profit-mongering attitude of food traders who do not hesitate to adulterate food, use of unauthorised chemicals and preservatives, lax enforcement of law and regulations, and the lack of awareness among those in the food business about the negative import of the unhygienic food and punitive measures against such practices.
To ensure that food served to consumers is safe, the first thing Bangladesh needs to do is to offer necessary training on food preparation, preservation, storing and distribution to those in the food trade. In many parts of the world, street food is a big attraction for food lovers, but here in Bangladesh most of the sensible people do not dare enjoy such food due to hygiene concerns. If the street food vendors are offered necessary food preparation and hygiene training, they will be able to make safe food, attracting more consumers and contributing to the development of the street food industry.
As a nation, Bangladesh needs to pursue zero tolerance to food adulteration. The government must play the biggest role here, particularly in strict enforcement of law, but it alone cannot reverse the situation. Everyone from his-her respective positions has to contribute to the fight against food adulteration. People who adulterate food are paid in the same coin when they procure stuffs they do not have. Unless people do not stop this illegal practice on their own, it is not certainly going to end.
Raising awareness about the negative impacts of unhygienic and adulterated food is critically important for food safety. The authorities concerned, the media, and rights groups should play a more active role in this regard.
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