In 2019 Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) had launched a noble initiative to bring hotels and restaurants under a grading system depending on the quality of their services and level of hygiene maintained. Mobile court drives were launched to monitor the eateries in different parts of the city; and in the first phase, some 56 restaurants were inspected and graded by BFSA according to their standards, ranging from A+ to C categories.

Many thought that the move would help improve the quality of food in city restaurants. But ironically, this much-appreciated move lost steam before long. Although mobile court drives are still being conducted randomly, it is more like just a drop in the ocean considering the large number of hotels and restaurants in Dhaka and BFSA’s scant manpower.

Public awareness about what they are eating and its impact on their health is a must, but at the same time food safety rules should be strictly enforced on all hotels and restaurants. Restaurants play an important role in city life and the standard of their service should not be left on the whims of their owners.