Japan, Jica to help build food safety lab in Dhaka: Food adviser

A modern food safety laboratory is set to be established in Dhaka under a loan agreement with the government of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), Food Adviser Ali Imam Majumder said today.

The facility, to be operated by the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA), will play a central role in ensuring safe food through scientific testing and regulatory oversight.

In addition to the laboratory, a new office building and a specialised training centre will be constructed to enhance the capacity of officials and food business operators, the adviser said at a seminar titled "Modern Food Safety System in Bangladesh", held at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the capital.

To strengthen food testing and enforcement nationwide, regional food safety laboratories and office buildings will also be established in Chattogram and Khulna, he added.

"A modern food safety system requires both skilled human resources and well-equipped laboratories," Ali Imam Majumder said.

At the seminar, Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Shinichi Saida said food safety has opened a new frontier in the growing partnership between Japan and Bangladesh.

Highlighting Japan's own experience, he noted how the country has gradually shifted from traditional punitive enforcement to a more guidance-based inspection approach to ensure food safety.

He expressed hope that Bangladesh will take effective steps to recruit an adequate number of trained food safety inspectors and professional lab personnel so that the upcoming laboratories can function as intended and help build a modern and effective food safety system.

"Short-term or partial solutions are not enough," Food Secretary Md Masudul Hasan said at the event. "What we truly need is a fully modern and comprehensive food safety system."

Presenting the keynote paper, Monjur Morshed Ahmed, director of the Institute of Food Science and Technology at the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), said unsafe food is linked to around 200 different diseases globally.

"Every day, an estimated 1.6 million people around the world fall ill due to consuming unsafe food," he said.