Leveraging Policy for Safer Food Systems in Bangladesh

Female farmer in Jashore.

In today's global landscape, the dangers of unsafe food go beyond the ingredients in our meals. Adulteration, contamination, lax regulatory oversight, and vulnerabilities within supply chains collectively threaten the safety of both home-cooked and outdoor-consumed food. The unbridled proliferation of unsafe food practices is  considered to cost the global food industry an estimated $30-40 billion annually.

Despite Bangladesh's commendable success in addressing food insecurity, its citizens are increasingly at risk of exposure to unsafe food, often without awareness. Disruptions in food safety manifest in various forms, as highlighted by a government report indicating that 60% of vegetables sold are highly contaminated with pesticides. Another recent study revealed that 67% of locally sold bottled soybean oils contain high levels of trans fatty acids (TFA), reportedly responsible for nearly 500,000 global deaths annually.

Roadside eatery.

These escalating food safety challenges could have detrimental effects on Bangladesh's goal to become an Upper Middle-Income Country by 2031.The nation's ability to take transformative measures, such as diversifying its food export industry portfolio, to adapt to post-graduation economic contexts, will partly depend on establishing a sustainable and safe food system.

The Government of Bangladesh has consistently recognized food safety as a key national development priority. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's five-point proposal at the UN Food Systems Stocktaking Summit  (July 2023) called for action to lift restrictions on food exports, transform food production systems, establish "food banks" for climate resilience, increase access to advanced agricultural technologies, and address food wastage. Enacting the Food Safety Act of 2013 and establishing the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) in 2015 were significant steps toward galvanizing the government's commitment to achieving food safety goals. However, addressing the complex food safety challenges requires the involvement of every system actor – government, private sector, farmers, and consumers – each having responsibilities across different stages of the food supply chain. The government needs to strictly enforce rules and oversight to ensure private sector accountability, while consumers need to exercise their right to safe food through increased awareness.

In Bangladesh, efforts to combat unsafe food are gaining momentum through locally led and collaborative solutions. The USAID Feed the Future Bangladesh Policy LINK Agricultural Policy Activity (Policy Activity) has partnered with the Bangladesh Safe Agro and Food Efforts (BSAFE) Foundation, a coalition of senior government and non-government leaders. Together, they aim to generate evidence and build a multi-stakeholder movement to address critical food safety issues by enhancing policy instruments and processes.

After over seven months of extensive consultations, BSAFE Foundation and the Policy Activity distilled 13 major policy recommendations to contribute to establishing safe and nutritious food systems in Bangladesh. These include improving inter-government coordination, encouraging greater private sector involvement, integrating food safety and nutrition policies, promoting Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), harmonizing food safety standards, and improving regulations on pesticide use and the hospitality industry. Broader system recommendations involve creating a legal framework for collective enterprises, promoting awareness and capacity building for regulatory and enforcement roles, and restricting the advertising of unhealthy food and drinks.

BSAFE Foundation is currently engaging with authorities like the Bangladesh Standards Testing Institute (BSTI) and the Directorate of National Consumers’ Rights Protection (DNCRP) to advance several recommendations aligned with government priorities. These recommendations could strengthen ownership of efforts for safe food supply chains, curb malpractices within the food industry, and deter misuses and wastages through the adoption of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in farming. Addressing unsafe food practices in Bangladesh is urgent, given the nation's trajectory towards an elevated economic status that requires a robust food system to be competitive in the global market.