Food Minister for integrated national strategy to prevent food waste

Food Minister Afroza Khanam today (4 November) called for formulating an integrated national strategy to prevent food waste, saying no single ministry can play an effective role in this regard on its own.

She said all relevant ministries and institutions, including those responsible for agriculture, fisheries and livestock, environment, industries and local government, must work together in a coordinated manner.
The stronger the coordination, the more effective the results will be, she added.

The minister made the remarks as the chief guest at a national dialogue titled “Save Food, Secure Bangladesh’s Food Future: National Dialogue on Loss and Waste” at a hotel in Dhaka.

The Food Planning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU) of the Ministry of Food and the Bangladesh office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) jointly organised the dialogue.

The food minister said the dialogue should not remain confined to discussions but should lead to effective decisions and practical initiatives whose benefits would be visible in people’s lives.

Preventing food waste means not only saving food but also recognising the value of farmers’ labour, protecting national resources and ensuring food security for people, she said.

She further said maximum utilisation of produced food must be ensured by raising awareness at the production, storage, transportation, marketing and consumer levels.

She said collective efforts by the government, private sector, development partners, researchers, producers and consumers were necessary to prevent food waste and fulfil the commitment to ensuring safe and nutritious food under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

Speaking as a special guest, FAO Representative in Bangladesh Jiaoqun Shi emphasised coordinated initiatives to reduce food loss and waste.

Food Secretary Abu Taher Md Masud Rana chaired the programme, while FPMU Director General Md Mahbubur Rahman delivered the welcome address.

Professor Dr Manjurul Alam, Professor Naushad Alam and Dr M. Khalequzzaman spoke as keynote speakers.

They discussed the challenges of reducing food loss and waste and explored effective strategies to address them.

According to FAO estimates, around 13.3 percent of the world’s total food production is lost before reaching the retail stage.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), around 1.05 billion tonnes of food were wasted at the household, food service and retail levels in 2022.

Reducing food loss and waste is crucial to achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3.

Government and private-sector officials, food and nutrition experts, academics, local and international researchers, specialists and representatives of various development partners and donor agencies attended the dialogue.