Experts identified Thursday poor enforcement of law, lack of awareness and absence of an effective regulatory body as the major impediments to ensuring food safety in Bangladesh.
They also said although Bangladesh achieved significant success in food supply, the country needs to go a long way in ensuring food safety.
They noted that a multi-agency inspection system of food involving 15 agencies has made the quality control procedure a cumbersome and ineffective one. Besides, little or no punishment of the perpetrators involved in food adulteration has made the overall public health sector vulnerable.
They were speaking at a roundtable participated by journalists on food safety titled 'Bangladesh's Food Safety System: The Challenges Food Safety Professionals Are Facing and Possible Solutions to Improve them' at the American Club in the city. USAID Bangladesh organised the event.
The discussion was moderated by USAID communication officer Troy Beckman while USAID agriculture officer Tanya Jackson made the keynote presentation. Representatives from media, civil society members, food safety experts and representatives from development partners were present on the occasion.
Referring to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety, the speakers stressed on establishing a single and effective regulatory agency namely Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA), for quality control and food safety in the value chain system.
In her remarks USAID Economic Growth Office Director Ramona El Hamzaoui said Bangladesh has shown tremendous success in food supply and now it has to ensure food safety and quality up to international level. Ensuring food quality and safety should not target export only but it has to be ensured for domestic consumers also.
She stressed on change in values and attitudes across sectors, industries and consumers to ensure food safety.
Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation chairman Syed Mahmudul Huq said ensuring food safety in Bangladesh is not the task of the government only rather it is the responsibility of all the stakeholders including the industries and consumers too. State is primarily responsible for ensuring access to safe food and health. He mentioned testing facility as the most critical part in the process.
Journalists observed that the food safety issue involves different parties from big industries to street vendors and growers. The focus should not be only on the finished products rather the monitoring and quality control process should start from agricultural inputs to environment pollution, they added. Food Safety Act 2013 should be enforced strictly without sparing anyone under pressure, they also opined.
In her presentation Ms Tanya said regulatory control should be applied in every stage including fertiliser, production, storage, processing, transport, distribution, wholesale, retail and catering.
She said the objectives of food safety policy are to reduce chronic illness and mortality caused by food-borne illness, promote safe production, processing, distribution, preparation, marketing and consumption of food and to facilitate domestic and international trade in safe food.
She mentioned chemical preservatives, food additives, contaminated cooking oil, colour additives, animal drugs, coal tar, starch, wheat, rice flour, arrow root, pulverized soaps, and detergents added to milk as thickening agent, stones, sand and filth mixed in food grains, alcoholic liquours mixed with methanol, and use of urea fertiliser and artificial colour for processing rice as the international adulteration which is practiced in Bangladesh.
