JICA suggests unified food safety licensing system in Bangladesh

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has recommended streamlining Bangladesh’s food safety laws and regulations and introducing a unified licensing system for all food businesses to strengthen food safety management in the country.
JICA Bangladesh Chief Representative Takahashi Junko made the recommendations during a meeting with Prime Minister’s Adviser on Public Administration Mohammad Ismail Zabiullah at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Thursday.
A six-member JICA delegation, led by Takahashi, met the adviser at his office, where team leader Koyama Atsushi presented recommendations to strengthen food safety administration.
The discussions focused on protecting public health, ensuring safe food for all citizens, preventing food adulteration, tackling foodborne diseases and enhancing technical capacity to improve food safety management.
Ismail Zabiullah said the government was working to ensure food safety nationwide in line with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s election manifesto and prevent the production, supply and marketing of counterfeit and adulterated food products.
He said the government had taken initiatives to strengthen the capacity of relevant institutions, including the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) and the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), through adequate recruitment, stronger field-level monitoring and strict enforcement of food safety laws.
The government had also taken measures to raise consumer awareness, he added.
The adviser sought JICA’s technical assistance to establish laboratories in all 64 districts to test food quality and ensure safety.
He also stressed the need to comply with international food safety standards to enhance the acceptance and competitiveness of Bangladeshi food products in global markets.
Takahashi said a more coordinated legal framework was needed to make Bangladesh’s food safety system more effective and streamlined. She also emphasised the importance of introducing a unified licensing system for all food businesses.
She said JICA was setting up three laboratories meeting international standards in the Dhaka, Chattogram and Khulna divisions to strengthen the country’s food safety system.
Takahashi also underscored the need for specialised technical expertise, internationally recognised laboratories and a nationwide food sampling and inspection system.
She called for a substantial increase in the BFSA’s manpower and institutional capacity, particularly through the recruitment of more food safety inspectors at the district level.
She recommended science-based, risk-oriented monitoring of food businesses, technical guidance for operators, and regular food sampling and testing. She also expressed JICA’s interest in providing technical training to food safety inspectors. Senior officials of the JICA Bangladesh office were present at the meeting.