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Food safety to protect public health underscored


Published : 08 Jun 2023 10:12 PM

Ensuring sustainable food safety can be the crucial means of protecting public health from various hazards, including biological, chemical and physical. 

There is no way but to generate massive awareness among the public in general so that they can debar themselves from consuming the contaminated, adulterated and substandard foods for their betterment.

Administrative officials, experts and other stakeholders came up with the observation while disseminating their expertise on the issue in a meeting held at the office conference hall of Divisional Commissioner in Rajshahi on Thursday.

Metropolitan office of Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) organized the meeting styled "Role of BFSA to build Smart Bangladesh" supported by the commissioner office.

Divisional Commissioner GSM Jafarullah addressed the meeting as chief guest with Additional Commissioner Dr Moksed Ali in the chair, while Food Safety Officer Shakil Ahmmed welcomed the participants.

BFSA Director Dr Sohadeb Chandra Saha gave an overview of their activities to ensure food safety besides demerits of adulterated foods and law enforcement during his keynote presentation.

Vice-principal of New Government Degree College Prof Dr Oliul Alam, Prof Sayeeda Anju from the Department of Law at Rajshahi University, Superintendent of Police Murshed Alam, President of Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industries Masudur Rahman and Editor of Daily Sonar Desh Akbarul Hassan Millat also spoke.

In his remarks, Commissioner Jafarullah said safe food consumption has become an urgent need for maintaining sound health and all quarters engaged in producing, manufacturing, processing and marketing of food should discharge their duties with utmost sincerity and honesty to reach safe food to the consumers in general.

 At present, the country has almost attained food security and time has come to ensure food safety to build sound public health everywhere in the society.

He said the fight against food adulteration has intensified after the government established BFSA in 2015 after enacting Food Safety Law, 2013 stressing the need for creating mass awareness among all levels of people to check food adulteration.

 Highlighting the success of the present government towards attaining food surplus he underscored the need for creating mass awareness to fight against the food adulteration malpractices.

Prof Sayeeda Anju mentioned that adulterated and contaminated foods always pose a serious threat to the public health and called for taking punitive measures against the food adulteration and contamination so that no one dares to commit such types of crimes.