Dhaka: Food Secretary Md Masudul Hasan announced that research findings related to food safety in Bangladesh will be implemented to ensure safe food and serve the public interest. He made these remarks at the inauguration ceremony of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority’s (BFSA) Online Fellowship Programme 2025 at the ministry.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the BFSA is launching the Fellowship Programme 2025 to encourage young researchers to engage in food safety research and innovation. This initiative is being introduced in line with the Food Safety Authority Fellowship Policy 2024, approved by the Ministry of Food, which aims to expand opportunities for conducting studies in this crucial sector.
The food secretary noted that the fellowship programme will commence for the first time in the fiscal year 2025-26. Under the General Fellowship-1 category (MS or equivalent), approximately 20 fellows will be selected. The Fellowship Policy 2024 has identified 14 research areas, including food microbiology, food chemistry, food toxicology, food preservation and processing, food contamination control, risk management, emerging technologies, and waste management.
The fellowship programme is designed to foster research, innovation, and the development of skilled manpower in food safety, thereby strengthening the national food safety system. This initiative by the BFSA is expected to support the country’s food security efforts.
BFSA Chairman Zakaria emphasized that the application process has been digitized through the mygov platform in collaboration with a2i to streamline the process, allowing applications to be submitted exclusively online. Senior officials from the Ministry of Food, a2i, and the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority attended the event.