Dhaka:Food Minister Afroza Khanam has called for a joint national strategy involving various ministries and stakeholders to address food loss and waste, aiming to bolster food security in Bangladesh. During a national dialogue held at a hotel in Dhaka, she emphasized that no single ministry could effectively tackle the issue alone and highlighted the need for coordinated efforts among ministries and institutions responsible for agriculture, fisheries and livestock, environment, industry, and local government.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the event, titled "Save Food, Secure Bangladesh's Food Future National Dialogue on Loss and Waste," was jointly organized by the Food Planning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU) of the Ministry of Food and the Bangladesh office of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Afroza Khanam stated that the dialogue should lead to tangible decisions and practical initiatives rather than remain confined to discussions.
The minister pointed out that preventing food waste is crucial not only for saving food but also for acknowledging the hard work of farmers, protecting national resources, and ensuring food security. She called for greater awareness at every stage of the food supply chain, from production and storage to transportation, marketing, and consumption. Afroza Khanam also stressed the importance of a collective effort involving the government, private sector, development partners, researchers, producers, and consumers to reduce food waste and ensure safe and nutritious food.
FAO Representative in Bangladesh, Dr. Jiaoqun Shi, speaking as a special guest at the event, also highlighted the significance of coordinated initiatives to reduce food loss and waste. The FAO estimates that approximately 13.3 percent of food produced globally is lost before reaching the retail stage. Furthermore, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimated that around 1.05 billion tonnes of food were wasted at household, food service, and retail levels in 2022, as noted in a PID handout.
Reducing food loss and waste is critical to achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 12.3, which aims to halve per capita global food waste at retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains by 2030. The dialogue was attended by government and non-government officials, food and nutrition experts, academics, local and international researchers, specialists, and representatives of development partners and donor agencies.