The formation of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) is well-purported but a lot will now depend on its future actions to fulfil its core objectives alongside reaching their real benefits to the people at large. The BFSA's outfit, at the beginning of its journey with only ten officials and personnel, is quite modest. This is more so, in consideration of the enormous problems about adulterated or contaminated food and related items that now find easily their way to retail-supply outlets across the country. It has to make its presence widely felt with a set of competent personnel with probity and integrity. The number of its initial manpower counts here. But what matters more is its effectiveness as a watchdog to deliver a strong message to all concerned about its business — dealing sternly with the growing menace of "unsafe" supplies of different food items, with no holds barred.
The magnitude of the problem about food safety is vast; it involves myriad tiers of society. If the BFSA gives the impression, right at the beginning, of being a 'toothless' body, that will surely not serve the cause of ensuring safety of food in line with the government's announced plan of action for the purpose. The first impression, as the saying goes, lasts long. That heightens the need for putting in an effective BFSA in place, right at its inception. Preventive control, review of records and re-analysis of the operational aspects of food safety plan are tough and challenging issues for this newly-formed authority to address. Food producers and suppliers will require to take a proper note of all safety-related matters, without making, or managing to make, any compromise on the same. The BFSA will, first of all, have to make it amply clear to all concerned that its actions, not words, will mean real business. 
Certainly, food determines the state of human health. Its availability is crucial for feeding the nation. But safe food is no less a vital issue. In this context, it is really alarming to note that up to 60 per cent of food samples, tested by the country's Institute of Public Health (IPH), have reportedly been found to be contaminated or adulterated. Such foods have serious health impacts, causing diseases like cancer, kidney, liver and renal failures, memory loss, respiratory problems, infertility, kidney stone and damage to cardiac system. A few actions that are periodically made by the metropolitan magistrates and mobile courts, have raised public awareness to some extent. But that is only a tiny part of what is actually needed to be done. Furthermore, a well-designed study has to be carried out in order to know the extent of food adulteration and contamination, prior to standardising the requirements for food quality and maintaining them strictly.
Influential businesses — and of course, dishonest ones — are the key actors behind treating foods with chemicals. The authorities must have the will and capacity to hit at the root of the problem. No real progress will be achieved by penalising some small traders, at times. There is a cycle of corruption involved in contamination and adulteration of food items. The same is true for a wide range of spurious pharmaceutical products. The BSFA will have to do all the needful to smash this cycle.
Consumer protection, by way of educating producers to produce safe food, testing samples, prosecuting cases where unsafe food and related items are found to be sold, involves a multi-sectoral task. The drive for combating the menace of adulterated, contaminated, counterfeit and fake food items and pharmaceutical products, has, therefore, to be well planned. All concerned government bodies and departments do need to get involved with this task through a coordinated plan of action. Here, the BFSA will have to take the lead role.
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Source: The Financial Express