Bangladesh and Denmark have further strengthened their partnership with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to create new collaboration for food safety and sustainable food production.
Denmark and Bangladesh have had a longstanding partnership and a mutual desire to continue cooperation in the food and agricultural sector for the benefit of both countries, as established in the “Sustainable and Green Framework Engagement” between the two nations.
The signing ceremony took place at the Ministry of Food on Thursday in the presence of Md Ismiel Hossain, secretary of the ministry, Md Abdul Kayowm Sarker, chairman of Bangladesh Food Safety Authority, Anders Karlsen, chargé d'affaires at the Embassy of Denmark in Dhaka, and Maria Stein Knudsen, sector counsellor for food and agriculture at the embassy, solidifying the commitment of both countries to continue their close cooperation in the food and agricultural sector and collaborate on vital matters related to food safety management and sustainable food production.
The MoU aims to foster strategic sector cooperation and enhance scientific, technical, and regulatory collaboration within food safety and sustainable food production between two trusted and amicable nations.
Through this partnership, both countries seek to collaborate on multiple initiatives that leverage their unique expertise, technologies, and resources to deliver innovative solutions for safe food and sustainable agriculture practices.
Ismiel Hossain said the MoU signing is a great milestone in the journey of ensuring food safety in Bangladesh. "This collaboration marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to enhance food safety standards and regulatory practices in Bangladesh,” he said.
Kayowm Sarker said, “As we strive to safeguard the health and well-being of our citizens, this collaboration will enable us to adopt best practices, learn from international experiences, and implement evidence-based strategies to address the evolving challenges in the food safety landscape.
“Our joint efforts will undoubtedly result in safer food for our consumers and further bolster our reputation in the global food market,” he added.
Anders Karlsen said, “Denmark and Bangladesh have had a close relationship throughout the last 50 years. We are happy to take this relationship an important step further with this MoU, with an in-depth collaboration to create a more sustainable and safe food production.”
By creating collaboration between governments, international organisations, the private sector, and civil society organisations, the primary focus is to ensure food safety as a critical step to addressing the challenges of food loss and waste while implementing measures to enhance overall resource efficiency in agricultural, livestock, and fisheries production.
Maria Knudsen said, “Bangladesh and Denmark are two proud agriculture and food producing countries. We are facing a global challenge ensuring safe and nutritious food, while also creating a more sustainable production.
“Denmark and the DVFA look forward to working together with BFSA on reaching these goals for food safety and sustainability,” she added.
