Join the safe food movement: Food minister

Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder has urged all to join the movement for safe food.

He said a law alone is not enough, rather mass awareness is the key to ensuring safe food for all.    

"Already, the country is self-sufficient in granular food production. Now the government is emphasizing safe and nutritious food for the people," said the minister. 

He came up with the remark on Wednesday while addressing a seminar on the occasion of the 'World Food Day-2019' at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh auditorium in the city. The minister also inaugurated a three-day-long food fair on the institution's premises.  

Sadhan Chandra Majumder said safe food refers to the whole process from growing a crop to serving it on the table has to be safe and hygienic. Giving an example, he said if someone buys organic food items for his family while the domestic help prepares the dishes in unhygienic ways, those will not be safe to consume in the end.             

About food safety of Bangladesh, the minister said the government has been providing rice at Tk10 per kilogram to people under the poverty line since 2016.   

The food minister added: "A total of 50 lakh families are receiving the facility in five months of a year when they have no works. This is the biggest social safety net program for food security."

The minister commented that though other countries accommodate agriculture and food in a single ministry, Bangladesh has separate offices for those.

The Ministry of Food is celebrating the 'World Food Day' like the previous years.

The minister hoped that the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Food and Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock will jointly celebrate the day from next year.

State Minister of Fisheries and Livestock Ashraf Ali Khan Khasru and agriculturalist Abdul Mannan joined the event as special guests. The FAO Representative in Bangladesh Robert Douglas Simpson was present as guest of honour.

Institute of Nutrition Director Visith Chavisit of Mahidol University in Thailand presented a keynote paper.

A total of 46 government and non-government organisations are participating in the fair. It will remain open to all from 9:00am to 8:00pm every fair day.