In such a situation, ‘National Food Security Day’ was celebrated in the country yesterday on Friday. BFSA was formed in February 2015 as the country’s central regulatory body.
The law states that the BFSA “shall regulate activities relating to food production, importation, processing, storage, supply, marketing and sale through coordination.”
It is revealed that more than 486 organizations from 18 ministries, departments, agencies and local government departments are involved in food safety management.
There are many other local and foreign organizations that play a direct or indirect role in ensuring food security. Yet officials have so far been able to sign MoUs with only seven government, four non-government and four foreign organizations.
“There is no pre-condition that everyone has to be in agreement otherwise we will not be able to function,” Sahadev Chandra Saha, director (food laboratory network coordination) of BFSA, told Prothom Alo.
Although admitting that the authority is failing to fully fulfill the duty imposed on it, he said, “The scope of our duty is increasing but we have not yet become the sole authority. This requires time.”