Governance Aspects of Food Safety in Bangladesh: A

Governance Aspects of Food Safety in Bangladesh:
A comparative look through the global governance model
Md Zahirul Islam Khan

Graduate School of Law
Kyushu University, Japan
Introduction
Food Security and Food Safety

As defined in the World Food Summit-1996 “Food security exists when all people, at all
times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet
their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” According to this
definition the Bangladesh National Food Policy, 2006 categorized food security as:
enhanced food availability, increased food access by the food insecure, and adequate supply
of safe and nutritious food. Thus, food safety is an inclusive aspect of food security.
Source:
Ministry of Food and Disaster Management, Bangladesh and World Food Programme,“Food Security in Bangladesh”: Workshop,
IDB Building, Dhaka, October 19-29, 2005),
http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/liaison_office/wfp120476.pdf , (accessed October 19, 2011).
Food Safety Threats in Bangladesh
•Arsenic in Food Chain

•Genetically Modified Food
•Environment Pollutants in Food Chain
•Human induced food adulteration during Farm
Production, Industrial Production, Marketing, and Street
Food Vending
(As an example next slide shows the trend of pesticide use

in Bangladesh)
Source: Bangladesh Statistical Year Book 2010
Implications
 Health
 Trade and Economy:
e.g. graphs below explain health and

trade implications:
Death by Cause in 2006 in Bangladesh (%)
Old Age, 17.27, 17% Foodborne Illnes s,

23.58, 23%
Accident and Related,

10.04, 10%
Indirect Food and

As thm a and Related, related Com plcation,
17.57, 18% 21.54, 22%
Infectious Dis eas e, 10,

10%
Source: Statistical Yearbook of Bangladesh 2010,

Chart percentages represent detail cause below: 23%(food borne illness): Liver diseases, jaundice,
diarrhea, dysentery, TB, peptic ulcer, malnutrition, skin diseases, leprosy, arsenic, kidney, appendicitis, warm and
other, 22%(indirect food and related): heart disease, stroke, blood pressure, diabetes, paralysis, tumor,
cancer, 10%(infectious diseases): Chicken pox, measles, polio, fever, malaria, typhoid, influenza, diphtheria,
meningitis, tetanus, gonorrhea, HIV, 18%(Asthma and related): Asthma, respiratory diseases, rheumatic fever,
rheumatism, ENT diseases, 10%(Accident and related): suicide, murder, burn, snakebite, poisoning, drowning,
rabies, mental diseases, drug abuse, epilepsy, pregnancy and abortion problem and the rest17% old age
Shirmp and other agro commodity export from Bangladesh (comparison)
600
Shrimp
500 Agro Commodity
Value (million USD)
400
300
200
100
0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Financial Year (Represented by end of Year)
Source: Bangladesh Economic Census 2011

Source: Bangladesh Economic Census 2011
Global Governance Model for Food Safety
(General Framework)
Food Safety Governance Framework
Framing
Review
Referral
Terms of References
Management Assessment
Monitoring
Screening
Implementation
Decision-making
Participation and Communication
P revention
Precaution
P revention
P recaution
C oncern
C oncern
R isk
R isk
Evaluation
Tolerablity and
Acceptability
Judgment
Source: Marion Dreyer and Renn Ortwin, Food Safety Governance: Integrating
Science, Precaution and Public Involvement ( Verlag: Springer, 2009), 1-10
Governance for Food Safety in Bangladesh
 Constitutional mandate: Article 15: provision for basic necessities

including food, and Article 18(1): raising of level of nutrition and
improvement of public health
Food safety basic laws: The Pure Food Ordinance 1959, The Pure
Food (Amendment) Act 2005 and Pure Food Rules 1967 provides basic
framework of food law that includes scope and definitions, administration
and enforcement guidelines for food safety.
Subsidiary laws: A number of laws partially address food safety issues,

such as S.272and S.273 of Penal Code 1860, S.26C of Special Power Act
1974, BSTI Ordinance 1985, Mobile Court Act 2009, Consumers Rights
Protection Act 2009 and different local government laws.
Governance Gaps in Bangladesh as per Global Model
Governance Purpose and procedures Implementation Status Implementation Status in
Stage in the Bangladesh
UK and EU
Framing:Gover Setting terms of Full implementation Partially exercised without
nance design as reference, procedure and undertaken using, for defining goals as governance
per laws, focus using, e. g., law, example, up to date model
regulation, institution, regulators law,coordination by Gaps:No governance design,
Institution, regulators, guidelines, backdated law, no single
resources and resources regulator, coordination gaps,
resources gaps
Assessment Gathering knowledge by Implementation Partial implementationproved

Step identifying risks using, e. undertaken except to be non-effective
1:Screening g. sound science, or by concern based Gaps: Science based
Step social scientists or assessment to be screening, and Testing labs
2:Prevention, economists undertaken by social non-functional,precaution,
precaution, scientists or economists. concern and risk based
concern or risk assessment gaps
based
assessment
Evaluation Value-based judgment e. Moderate Absent and not exercised as
(Assessment g. on tolerability or implementation and full governance process
decisions are acceptability prior to implementation is in Gaps: Evaluation gaps
evaluated) management decision experimental stage
Management Selection of appropriate Full implementation Partially undertaken without
Stage food safety risk decision undertaken setting proper goals and thus
1:decision by Management Board or non-effective
making regulator and decisions Gaps: No single
Stage 2 are based on prevention, management body or
Implementation precaution, concern or regulator, hence decisions are
Stage 3 risk analysis. taken by different agencies
Monitoring piecemeal basis and no
coordination
Causes of governance gaps
Government’s response gaps

Socio-economic factors
Unmanageable challenges due to Arsenic, GM
food, and environmental factors
(Graphs below explain partially the reasons of
response gaps:)
Conclusion
 Food Safety Governance is an abstract idea in Bangladesh
 Governance gaps could be filled gradually using existing
resources.
 Health and trade implications of governance gaps is
significant
 Implementing global governance approach and single
coordination approaches are feasible for piloting food
safety governance in Bangladesh
Thank You

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Governance Aspects of Food Safety in Bangladesh:

A comparative look through the global governance model

Md Zahirul Islam Khan

Food Security and Food Safety

•Arsenic in Food Chain

(As an example next slide shows the trend of pesticide use

 Trade and Economy:

e.g. graphs below explain health and

Old Age, 17.27, 17% Foodborne Illnes s,

Accident and Related,

Indirect Food and

Infectious Dis eas e, 10,

Source: Statistical Yearbook of Bangladesh 2010,

Financial Year (Represented by end of Year)

Source: Bangladesh Economic Census 2011

Food Safety Governance Framework

 Constitutional mandate: Article 15: provision for basic necessities

Subsidiary laws: A number of laws partially address food safety issues,

Assessment Gathering knowledge by Implementation Partial implementationproved

Government’s response gaps

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