The goal of this report is to identify best food safety practices that can inform policy makers in Bangladesh and other developing countries by examining and synthesizing experiences in food safety systems and regulation as well as producer and consumer behavior in low, middle, and high income countries. We begin by presenting the general objectives and principles of food safety regulation in countries with mature food safety systems. Then we review government food safety regulatory systems in Denmark and the U.S. to illustrate different approaches to organizing the implementation of food safety regulation. The food safety systems of both of these countries were updated within the past 20 years (Denmark in 1997 and the U.S. in 2011), and as a result the two systems incorporate modern best practices in food safety. The recent changes to U.S. food safety law are described in depth, as an example of a country updating a food safety system that was developed over 80 years ago based on modern principles. We conclude by summarizing the best practices and consider their potential to improve food safety in an emerging economy such as Bangladesh.
Policies, formal or informal, can be determinants of the effectiveness of any organization, no matter how big or small. Formal policies can take the form of primary laws or secondary regulations, while informal policies may only apply on the honor of individuals, businesses, or societies. Throughout history, food safety policies have evolved from isolated experiences of trial and error to standardized, scientific method-driven approaches. Still, the burden of foodborne disease remains a global concern, and governments often maintain the responsibility of curbing the deleterious effects. The policy decisions made to i) train food safety professionals, ii) educate producers and consumers on food-safe handling practices, and iii) conduct outreach activities can mean the difference between sickness and health in constituencies. In Bangladesh, these three policy priorities are led by the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA). As a human-driven system, improving food safety requires behavior change. Policymakers can implement mechanisms for behavior change through their understanding of the national culture. Leaders should not use this information to exploit or manipulate but rather to embrace cultural nuance and share resonate messaging. Religion, specifically the Islamic faith, is a dominant cultural element in Bangladesh. Recognizing the connection between Muslim food laws-called Halal food laws and derived from Islamic text-and food safety is essential to writing effective food safety policies. An estimated 150 million Muslims live in Bangladesh and presumably abide by Halal food laws. Though many of the Halal principles of good hygiene and wholesomeness align with safe food production and consumption practices, high rates of foodborne disease persist. This research aims to i) describe the global history of governance around food safety, ii) outline existing international approaches to food safety, iii) discuss current theories of behavior change, iv) assess the capacity of the government of Bangladesh to improve food safety practices and outcomes, and v) evaluate the results and policy applications of the Food Safety Culture Assessment. The hypothesis of the Food Safety Culture Assessment is that there are observable patterns in food safety-related values, opinions, and perceptions, particularly as it relates to the cultural element of religion. The most apparent patterns were the significance respondents placed on faith, handwashing, partiality to taste over other factors of food selection, and the value of women and healthcare providers in food safety information dissemination. These resources were developed to inform policy decisions and build capacity at the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA). As the BFSA establishes itself to be the proper authority on food safety issues, it will be well-served to align national culture considerations like the Islamic faith with data-driven, scientific findings when working to improve food safety policy.
Globalization of the food supply has created conditions favorable for the emergence, reemergence, and spread of food-borne pathogens-compounding the challenge of anticipating, detecting, and effectively responding to food-borne threats to health. In the United States, food-borne agents affect 1 out of 6 individuals and cause approximately 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths each year. This figure likely represents just the tip of the iceberg, because it fails to account for the broad array of food-borne illnesses or for their wide-ranging repercussions for consumers, government, and the food industry-both domestically and internationally. A One Health approach to food safety may hold the promise of harnessing and integrating the expertise and resources from across the spectrum of multiple health domains including the human and veterinary medical and plant pathology communities with those of the wildlife and aquatic health and ecology communities. The IOM's Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a public workshop on December 13 and 14, 2011 that examined issues critical to the protection of the nation's food supply. The workshop explored existing knowledge and unanswered questions on the nature and extent of food-borne threats to health. Participants discussed the globalization of the U.S. food supply and the burden of illness associated with foodborne threats to health; considered the spectrum of food-borne threats as well as illustrative case studies; reviewed existing research, policies, and practices to prevent and mitigate foodborne threats; and, identified opportunities to reduce future threats to the nation's food supply through the use of a "One Health" approach to food safety. Improving Food Safety Through a One Health Approach: Workshop Summary covers the events of the workshop and explains the recommendations for future related workshops.
Micronutrients, often referred to as vitamins and minerals are vital to healthy development, disease prevention, and wellbeing. Although only required in small amounts, micronutrients are not produced in the body and must be derived from the diet. Commonly cited micronutrients include Iron, Vitamins A, B, D, Iodine, and Zinc. Malnutrition in micronutrients tends to trap populations in a vicious cycle of poverty, causing adults to be less productive and preventing children from reaching their full potential, and exacerbating household poverty in general. Addressing the problem of micronutrient malnutrition, therefore, provides substantial benefits to the cause of development (Ara et al. 2019). The fortification of staple food items including rice to deliver vital micronutrients offers a unique opportunity to target the vulnerable populace – mostly women, young children and female adolescents – at a low cost, and importantly, without forcing a change in dietary habits.2 Although considerable investments are currently being made to improve micronutrient nutrition outcomes around the world, such efforts generally take time to provide results.
The national food system of Bangladesh has made substantial progress since experiencing famine in 1974, soon after independence. After the famine, the government placed a strong emphasis on policies required to attain grain self-sufficiency; since attaining self-sufficiency, the production system, policies related to it, and resulting diets have begun to diversify. Nonetheless, undernutrition remains a problem, and fruit and vegetable consumption are inadequate for most people relative to international recommendations. Moreover, as the food system has begun to transition towards a modern one, challenges related to food safety and perceived food adulteration have begun to rise. Further, increased processed food intakes are potentially associated with existing rising overweight and obesity status. Both government interventions and innovations are needed to help shift the national food system to improve nutrient-dense food availability, particularly among the poor, and to limit the increase in processed food consumption.
Sudden negative events are part of life, but some are more disastrous than others. This book analyzes the consequences of sudden negative shocks in the short and long term well being of people and how the policies implemented before, during and in the immediate aftermath of the event could help prevent these long lasting effects.
The HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) system is still recognised internationally as the most effective way to produce safe food throughout the supply chain, but a HACCP system cannot operate in a vacuum. It requires prerequisite programmes to be in place and it can be highly affected by, or dependent upon, other major considerations such as animal, plant, human and environmental health, food security and food defence. This book: Provides a practical and up-to-date text covering the essentials of food safety management in the global supply chain, giving the reader the knowledge and skills that they need to design, implement and maintain a world-class food safety programme. Builds on existing texts on HACCP and food safety, taking the next step forward in the evolution of HACCP and providing a text that is relevant to all sectors and sizes of food businesses throughout the world. Shares practical food safety experience, allowing development of best-practice approaches. This will allow existing businesses to improve their systems and enable businesses that are new to HACCP and food safety management requirements in both developed and developing countries to build on existing knowledge for more rapid application of world-class food safety systems. Educates practitioners such that they will be able to use their judgement in decision-making and to influence those who make food policy and manage food operations. This book is an essential resource for all scientists and managers in the food industry (manufacturing and foodservice); regulators and educators in the field of food safety; and students of food science and technology.
New evidence this year corroborates the rise in world hunger observed in this report last year, sending a warning that more action is needed if we aspire to end world hunger and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030. Updated estimates show the number of people who suffer from hunger has been growing over the past three years, returning to prevailing levels from almost a decade ago. Although progress continues to be made in reducing child stunting, over 22 percent of children under five years of age are still affected. Other forms of malnutrition are also growing: adult obesity continues to increase in countries irrespective of their income levels, and many countries are coping with multiple forms of malnutrition at the same time – overweight and obesity, as well as anaemia in women, and child stunting and wasting.
