World Food Safety Day inspires consolidated action on foodborne illness in Bangladesh

May 13, 2021, 10:47 AM by System

There are few statistics on the burden of foodborne disease in Bangladesh, according to the FAO-implemented programme, “Improving food safety in Bangladesh.” But what we do know is that unsafe food is a widespread and pervasive issue in the country, with diarrhoeal diseases, enteric fever and hepatitis presenting as the most prevalent foodborne diseases. So, the UN’s designation of a World Food Safety Day, to be celebrated annually on 7 June, was a clear signal to Bangladeshi food safety activists that the time had come to tackle the matter head on.

The Bangladesh Food Safety Foundation (BFSF) was founded in 2019 upon the declaration of World Food Safety Day under the slogan “united for safer food.” It is a civil society and multisectoral platform of sector leaders, scientists, regulators and consumer rights activists determined to raise public awareness and ensure training in and regulation of food safety practices in the food chain. Their aim is to ensure safe food for all Bangladeshi citizens, through full and comprehensive implementation of the Food Safety Act 2013, which was formulated with assistance from the FAO office in Dhaka.

This year for World Food Safety Day, the organization, with backing from the Bangladesh Supermarket Association, is planning a full schedule of discussions in an online event that will include representatives from many sectors and disciplines, as well as invitees from the Government of Bangladesh and international agencies, such as FAO and WHO.

The Bangladesh Food Safety Foundation is headed by Mustak Hassan Md Iftekhar,  former Chairperson of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority.

 

Read more: http://www.fsfbd.org/

At the heart of the Codex mandate are the core values of collaboration, inclusiveness, consensus building and transparency. Governmental and non-governmental, public and private organizations alike play a vital role in ensuring Codex texts are of the highest quality and based on sound science.

Codex would have little authority in the field of international standard setting if it did not welcome and acknowledge the valuable contributions made by observers. Expert technical bodies, industry and consumer associations contribute to the standard-setting process in a spirit of openness, collaboration and transparency.

Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can apply for observer status in Codex in order to attend and put forward their views at every stage of the standard-setting process.

Current Codex Alimentarius Commission

240
Codex Observers
60
IGOs
164
NGOs
16
UN

World Food Safety Day inspires consolidated action on foodborne illness in Bangladesh

May 13, 2021, 10:47 AM by System

There are few statistics on the burden of foodborne disease in Bangladesh, according to the FAO-implemented programme, “Improving food safety in Bangladesh.” But what we do know is that unsafe food is a widespread and pervasive issue in the country, with diarrhoeal diseases, enteric fever and hepatitis presenting as the most prevalent foodborne diseases. So, the UN’s designation of a World Food Safety Day, to be celebrated annually on 7 June, was a clear signal to Bangladeshi food safety activists that the time had come to tackle the matter head on.

The Bangladesh Food Safety Foundation (BFSF) was founded in 2019 upon the declaration of World Food Safety Day under the slogan “united for safer food.” It is a civil society and multisectoral platform of sector leaders, scientists, regulators and consumer rights activists determined to raise public awareness and ensure training in and regulation of food safety practices in the food chain. Their aim is to ensure safe food for all Bangladeshi citizens, through full and comprehensive implementation of the Food Safety Act 2013, which was formulated with assistance from the FAO office in Dhaka.

This year for World Food Safety Day, the organization, with backing from the Bangladesh Supermarket Association, is planning a full schedule of discussions in an online event that will include representatives from many sectors and disciplines, as well as invitees from the Government of Bangladesh and international agencies, such as FAO and WHO.

The Bangladesh Food Safety Foundation is headed by Mustak Hassan Md Iftekhar,  former Chairperson of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority.

 

Read more: http://www.fsfbd.org/

Codex and Observer

Food is a sensitive commodity, which has travelled
around the world since ancient times.
We might not always know where it comes from,
but we expect it to be available, safe and of good quality.