Ensuring food safety

Never before did the issue of safe food take the centre-stage of public discussion in a manner it has done this year. More so, because from this year, the country has decided to observe the Safe Food Day on February 02. Rallies and seminars were organised highlighting this burning issue having a direct impact on the lives of people. In fact, ensuring food safety has become critical because of failure to enforce the existing laws properly in order to check food adulteration and rein in reckless profiteering attitude of traders. Moreover, there are no set standards and adequate laboratory facilities to put a brake on these heinous malpractices. The government, by setting up the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA), has, however, given the nationwide campaign for safe food an institutional shape.

Food adulteration may occur through various ways. The number of incidents of intentional adulteration is much higher compared to the unintentional ones in the country. On the other hand, there is a severe shortage of modern food testing laboratories. Existing laboratories of government and non-governmental organisations need to be strengthened to ensure food safety. It’s also time for the government to empower the BFSA with adequate human resources and other facilities similar to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the USA.

Healthcare expense has increased several times in recent years mainly due to consumption of adulterated foods. There is a need for setting a safety standard, introducing a community certification system, creating public awareness and making more investments for ensuring food safety. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), around 200 types of diseases are directly related to food adulteration.

It is alarming that substandard, fake and even banned pesticides are allegedly making their way into the market in the main because of lax monitoring. This poses a serious chance to public health. The authorities has banned as many as 195 hazardous pesticides over the previous few years. But many of those banned pesticides are nevertheless being used in the country. How can these pesticides, substandard and faux ones, are being marketed below the very nose of agriculture officers working at the grassroots?

The dimension regarding adulterated meals is so sizable that BSFA alone cannot stem the rot. An integrated approach, under the leadership of BSFA, would be the need of the time. In fact, mass cognizance about do’s and don’ts on meals security in each and every nook and cranny of the u . s . has to be created. For this, the BSFA ought to start a big marketing campaign through a range of ways. It can print captivating posters and different campaign substances advising human beings in easy and convenient language as to what they need to avoid as food. The posters have to be put up for public view in public places, rural markets, academic institutions and bus stations so that frequent human beings can follow these instructions in their day by day meals habit. Such campaigns might also be supported through audio-visual materials made available to a number social clubs and leisure centres. two