The government is working on introducing regulations soon with tougher punishments to prevent fancy advertisements as well as glamorous and exaggerated advertising of food products to safeguard public health.
The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) made the draft of the ‘Safe Food (Advertising) Regulations, 2021’ and sent it to the Food Ministry to upload on its website for opinion from all quarters.
Violation of the conditions of the ‘Safe Food (Advertising) Regulations, 2021’ will be considered as the violation of Sections 41 and 42 of the ‘Safe Food Act, 2013’ and will be punished accordingly.
Talking to Bangladesh Post on Tuesday, Md Rezaul Karim, a member of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority, said that they drafted the regulations to oversee advertising of food products in the country. “The Safe Food (Advertising) Regulations, 2021 has been drafted in a bid to control advertising of food products in the country. It requires doctors, nutritionists and other specialists on food to stop promoting any food products,” he said.
He also said that the BFSA drafted the regulations following approval of the government. “The draft regulations will be finalised after opinions from stakeholders. After that, it will be sent to the law ministry after the inter-ministerial meeting and other official process. After the vetting there, a gazette notification will be published in this regard,” he said.
According to the draft regulations, experts such as doctors and nutritionists will be prohibited from appearing in advertisements of food products to explain their qualities and health benefits for marketing purposes. Children’s participation in the advertisements will also be restricted as a Section of the regulations says that children should not be used in any scene of condemnation, conflict, quarrel and risk. Any organisation on food products will not also be allowed in an advertisement of any product.
The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority will not allow any advertisement of a product that undermines other competitive products. No product can also be promoted as a healer of diseases to make it more attractive.
As per the draft regulations, no advertisement can be made based on physical and mental disabilities or physical attributes such as size and colour.
Many companies make advertisements claiming that their products are the best compared to other competing products. In these advertisements, other products are considered inferior. The proposed regulations will stop this unequal competition. The regulations will also stop misuse of various types of adjectives, including natural, fresh, authentic, traditional, home-made and genuine.
The draft regulations also have the instructions on the advertisement of imported food products. The name and full address of the manufacturer, the full name and address of the re-wrapper and the marketer should be mentioned in the imported food products. The draft also contains the rules on how to present the overall packaging of a food product, including its advertising, promotion, expiration date, ingredients, claims, processing, and nutrition.
If anyone violates the Sections 41 and 42 of the regulations, he or she will be awarded six months to one year imprisonment or will be fined Tk one to two lakh or both. For the second time, the same offense carries a minimum sentence of one year imprisonment or a fine of Tk 4 lakh or both.
Shahnowas Dilruba Khan, a member of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority, on Tuesday told Bangladesh Post that businessmen, industrial organisations, and consumers should visit the website of the Food Ministry and provide their comments on the proposed regulations.
