Research Paper

Ensuring Food Safety: Challenges for good governance and the way out

Chapter: Bangladesh | Year: 2014

Chapter details

About the chapter:

Transparency International Bangladesh (TI-B) is an independent, non-government, non-partisan and non-profit organization with a vision of a Bangladesh in which government, politics, businesses, civil society and the daily lives of its citizens are free from corruption.

CPI Score: 26

CPI Rank: 149


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Theory of Change

Policy & Insititutional Change
Policy Adoption & Amendment
Change Type:

Awareness

Findings

  1. Safe food monitoring and regulatory agencies activities do not reflect the entire food chain (from farm to plate) and most of the responsible agencies at the field level are predominantly responsible for remedial activities. As a result, their activities are often limited to collecting processed food and food samples.
  2. Lack of human resources in the departments responsible for ensuring safe food, absence of sanctions for adultery, and a coordination gap amongst authorities.
  3. Lack of monitoring and accountability of concerned personnel.
  4. The government has taken many positive steps to fight food adulteration but absence of an integrated food safety system is limiting the achievement of this goal.

Recommendations

  1. Immediate gazette draft of Safe Food Act 2013. Its rules have to be formulated and its quick implementation should be ensured.
  2. To prevent food abuse and monitor the use of formalin, the Formalin Control Act should be formulated and implemented with clear provisions regarding the import of formalin versus the demand.
  3. To integrate the activities to ensure safe food administration, a single umbrella body has to be constituted in accordance with the provisions of the Safe Food Act, 2013.
  4. To create awareness among all stakeholders and beneficiaries regarding the rules and regulations of safe food law, proper advocacy should be made.


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