Utmost importance should be given on generating mass-awareness about consumption of safe food as it can be the best way of freeing the public health from all sorts of risks.
All concerned and other stakeholders who are involved in producing, manufacturing, processing, marketing and supplying of food should come forward and work together with utmost sincerity and honesty to reach safe food to the consumers in general.
The observation came at a training workshop by academics and experts who unequivocally called for concerted efforts of all concerned to ensure food safety.
District office of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) hosted the workshop at Career Counseling and Development Centre in Rajshahi University (RU) Sunday afternoon. Around 50 persons, including hall provosts, chef, assistant chef and other supporting staff in dining halls of 17 RU dormitories, were present at the workshop.
Vice-chancellor (VC) Prof Golam Sabbir Sattar addressed the opening ceremony as chief guest, while Pro-VCs Prof Chowdhury Jakaria and Prof Sultan-Ul-Islam and Registrar Prof Abdus Salam spoke as special guests with BFSA Secretary Abdun Nasser Khan in the chair.
Food Safety Officer Lokman Hossain welcomed the participants besides moderating the discussion. VC Prof Golam Sabbir Sattar said the country has almost attained food security amid the competent leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at present and this is the high time of ensuring 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 stressing the need for creating mass awareness among all levels of people to check food waste and 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 waste and adulteration malpractices. Prof Golam Sabbir urged the participants to serve improved and hygienic food to the students as they are the future of the nation and called for performing duties with utmost sincerity and honesty.
Abdun Nasser Khan 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 more dare to commit such types of crimes. The existing acts and the law enforcers alone would never be able to salvage the situation unless people from all walks of life became adequately aware about the harms of taking adulterated foods and took firm stand against such immoral mindset.
'We need the people to come forward to stop these harmful practices,' he said, adding that concerted efforts of all the government and non-government organizations concerned have become indispensable for protecting agriculture, livestock and fisheries from all sorts of pollution and contamination to ensure food safety.
Besides, utmost emphasis should be given on freeing the markets and other outlets from all sorts of unhygienic and unsafe foods because those are injurious to public health. Time has come to bring all the street food selling shops and hotels under close monitoring and vigilance to prevent them from selling unhygienic and contaminated foods on an urgent basis, he added.