Bangladesh Food Safety Laws and Regulations

Bangladesh Food Safety Laws and Regulations Pure Food Ordinance, 1959 and Pure Food Rules, 1967; The Animals Slaughter (Restriction) and Meat Control (Amendment) Ordinance, 1983; Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institution Ordinance 1985 (amended as Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institution amendment Act 2003); Destructive Insects and Pests Rules (Plant Quarantine) 1966, amended up to 1989; Agricultural Produce Market Act 1964 (revised in 1985); Fish Protection and Conservation Act, 1950 (latest amendment in 1995); Marine Fisheries Ordinance 1983 and Rules 1983; Fish and Fish Products (Inspection and Quality Control Ordinance, 1983; Fish Products (Inspection and Quality Control) Rules' 1997; The Essential Commodity Act 1957, 58, 64; The Food or Special Courts Act 1956; The Food Grain Supply (Prevention of Prejudicial Activity) Ordinance 1956; The Pesticides Ordinance 1971 and The Pesticide Rules-1985.

Policy Linkages Food Safety in all stages of the food chain, that is, from farm to table has been focused with due importance in all the relevant policies of the government. The policies are Bangladesh Environment Policy; Bangladesh Food and Nutrition Policy 1997 and National Policy of Nutrition 1997; Bangladesh Food Policy 1998; Comprehensive Food Security Policy 2001 and New National Food Policy 2006; National Agriculture policy 1999; Bangladesh Health Policy 2002; The Exim Policy etc.

Though Food Safety has been focused in all relevant policies of the government, the basic food laws, Pure Food Ordinance 1959 and the Pure Food Rules 1967, did not fully accommodate Codex standards, guidelines and practices including Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP). However, Fish and Fish Products (Inspection and Quality Control Ordinance 1983 and Fish and Fish Products Inspection and Quality Control Rules 1997) have received due importance of HACCP principles. The Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institution also adopted HACCP as Bangladesh standard.

The government of Bangladesh had approved a food safety project in 2008. The project will be funded by two development partners and executed by FAO and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It is expected that upon completion of the project, regulatory and institutional structure will be strengthened along with capacity building of the food testing laboratories.

Food Standards 107 food items are covered under Pure Food Rules 1967. 190'food standards by Bangladesh Standard Testing Institution of which 52 should have compulsory certification marks. 28 Codex standards adopted as Bangladesh standards. [AMM Shawkat Ali]

Bibliography Government of Bangladesh: Various documents; Ministry of Agriculture (2004): Report of the National Task Force on Food Safety Bangladesh for FAO-WHO Regional Conference on Food Safety for Asia and the Pacific Seremban, Malaysia, 24-27 May 2004; Ministry of Food (2004): Report of the Working groups of food safety laws, regulations, control system, control mechanism and standards for facilitating food trade among the SAARC countries; Abdur Rouf (2004): Enhancing Certification System for Better Marketing, Country paper prepared for APO seminar to be held in Tokyo, Japan, January 2004; Alam, Zahangir, Md. (2002): Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, Bangladesh Country paper presented in APO seminar Tokyo, Japan.