Food safety

Most countries in the world have in place legal frameworks for ensuring food-safety standards, although implementation and effectiveness vary from place to place. In Bangladesh there do exist laws that deal with the different dimensions of food safety.

Considering the lax enforcement of food safety laws in Bangladeh, and the general lack of attention towards hygiene, perhaps people are forced to be suspicious about the origins of the food on our plates.

Whether it is street food or meals served in more established eateries, streams of sewage and piles of filth are never too far, located dangerously close to where food is being served. Even the food we buy for consumption at home is suspect — produce, meat and milk are often stored in a manner that exposes them to dust and insect.

However, the problem lies with the implementation of the laws. However, there have been gains in ensuring that food intended for human consumers meets specific safety and quality standards. However, in this column, we have raised the need for targeted and integrated legislation to further streamline matters.

Over the past decade, Bangladesh has experienced significant economic growth, largely driven by the agriculture sector, states a report published in this newspaper. However, food businesses in the country face increasing sustainability expectations, particularly concerning food safety and security in export markets. The presence of unsafe and contaminated food poses significant health risks, leading to various diseases such as diarrheal diseases and cancer, said speakers at a recently held programme titled 10th International Food Safety Forum arranged jointly by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Bangladesh and Bangladesh Food Safe Authority at a hotel in Dhaka.

The speakers at the programme mentioned that these health impacts have far-reaching economic consequences. Addressing the event, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder said a comprehensive and effective measure has to be adopted to address various obstacles to ensuring safe food in the country.

Unsafe food results in numerous acute and life-long diseases. An evaluation shows that about 2.2 million people annually die due to food-borne and waterborne diarrhoeal diseases. The dreadful part is that out of these 2.2 million people, 1.9 million are children. Data collected from the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDRB), an international health research organization located in Dhaka, indicates that the number of hospital visits per day for treatment of diarrhoea due to food and water-borne causes is very distressful. The over-all situation of food contamination in Bangladesh unfortunately reveals an extensive nonconformity with hygienic practices in food handling in Bangladesh.

The Food Safety Act 2013 has also been enacted in Bangladesh through repealing and re-enacting the existing outdated laws in this regard. This 2013 Act has been enacted to form an authority that would ensure generous efforts to the food control agencies, food business operators and people of the country towards achieving the landmark goal of founding a Modern and Technological Food Safety System in Bangladesh.

Food safety and availability are crucial issues in a country where rising costs are, in a sense, creating a fertile breeding ground for adulterators and profiteers. Further, an environment conducive to the implementation of the laws needs to be created by making the citizenry aware of its right to safe food and demanding this strongly.

Those who continue to cut corners must be penalised to protect the public’s health.

Regardless of these initiatives taken by the government, the food inspection and enforcement system in Bangladesh still needs to be strengthened to address the significant food safety issues that are prevailing in Bangladesh. Framing of inspection manuals, protocols, guidelines and checklists for inspectors to use during operation is immensely required. A system for record-keeping and documentation of food inspection and enforcement activities needs to be put in place. The laws in place require implementation with full force and hurdles in implementing the existing laws against adulteration to be eliminated.