Experts at a workshop observed that Bangladesh has become self-sufficient in food production from a food deficit country and has been working for long term food security, especially in terms of addressing new challenges posed by the likes of climate change.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) supported Feed the Future Bangladesh Agricultural Policy Activity hosted the Technical Workshop on National Food Safety Policy on Thursday at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel in Dhaka. The workshop brought together representatives from the government, private sector, civil society, academia, research institutes, and development sector to discuss issues and opportunities associated with the Government of Bangladesh’s efforts towards improving policy and regulatory systems and frameworks related to food safety interventions.
The event was be divided into an opening session, which comprised of a keynote presentation on the Policy Activity’s findings, and a technical session, comprising of a group-based exercise focused on validation of findings and identification of any untapped food safety policy issues along with potential recommendations.
Faheem Khan, Country Lead, Feed the Future Bangladesh Agricultural Policy Activity, gave the keynote presentation highlighting the outcomes of the desk research, exploratory workshops, and key informant interviews conducted across regions under the USAID Feed the Future Zone of Influence (Barishal, Khulna, and Jashore regions) and Zone of Resilience (Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban districts).
Md. Ismeil Hossain ndc, Secretary, Ministry of Food, was present as Chief Guest and Md. Rejaul Karim, Member (Food Consumption and Consumer Rights), Bangladesh Food Safety Authority, chaired the event.
Special guests included Dr. Khaleda Islam, Director, Institute of Nutrition & Food Science, University of Dhaka, Eleash Mridha, Managing Director, PRAN-RFL Group, and Muhammad N. Khan, PhD, Director, Office of Economic Growth, USAID/Bangladesh.
“The Government of Bangladesh has continuously acknowledged that food safety is an essential determinant for public health and nutrition advancements in Bangladesh. The Government has also prioritized food safety interventions as fundamental to achieving the national goals of food and nutrition securit,” Md. Ismeil Hossain ndc, Secretary, Ministry of Food, highlighted during his speech.
Muhammad N. Khan, PhD, Director, Office of Economic Growth, USAID/Bangladesh, added “The United States Government is committed to support Bangladesh to implement the new Food Safety Law and improve the administration and coordination of laboratories and the use of preventive controls along the value chains for food safety.”
