During a discussion, public health professionals and human rights advocates emphasized that it is now essential to properly label food packaging with the proportions of sugar, salt, transfat, and saturated fat as well as to offer medal marking so that consumers can readily identify products that are harmful to their health.
They also said that food and beverage companies should insert additional information on the sugar, salt and sodium content of their packaged products. It is necessary to insert such information in the existing food packaging in order to reduce heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes in the country, they added,
Center for Law and Policy Affairs-CLPA, International Development Law Organisation, Public Health Lawyers Network and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University-BSMMU jointly arranged the discussion on food packaging to control unhealthy diet at Bishwo Shahitto Kendro in the capital on Tuesday.
Dr M. Mustafa Zaman, a professor of Department of Public Health and Informatics and executive editor of BSMMU Journal; presided over the event, while Syed Mahbubul Alam, expert on public health law; presented the keynote speech.
Kamrunnisa Munna of CLPA moderated the event, while it was attended, among others, by Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, country lead at Global Health Advocacy Incubator; Professor Dr Md. Atiqul Haque, dean of the Faculty of Preventive and Social Medicine and chairman of Department of Public Health and Informatics of BSMMU; Md. Wahiduzzaman, a member of Bangladesh Food Safety Authority; Eng Md. Abdullah Al Mamun, deputy director at BSTI; Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman, deputy program manager of Non-Communicable Disease Control at Directorate General of Health Services; Hamidul Islam Hillol, an expert of public health; Barrister Nishat Mahmud, member secretary of Public Health Lawyers Network; Gous Piary Mukti, director of WBB Trust; Palash Chandra Banik, an associate professor at BUSH; Miss Rai from JICA, Atia Sultana, a deputy director of Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection; Dr. Syed Emdadul Haque, country representative of URB; Dr. Umme Afroza, senior program officer at Heart Foundation; Shima Das Shimu, director at Ubinig, and Farhana Zaman Liza, an assistant researcher at DIU.
Speakers of the discussion said unhealthy food is one of the health problems around the world nowadays. Most of the deaths in Bangladesh are caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which are linked to food habit. Bangladesh must reduce NCD deaths by 30 per cent by 2030 to achieve SDG targets, excess sugar, salt, transfats have been identified as major contributors to heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Taxation, banning of advertising, labeling and packaging measures can play a vital role in discouraging unhealthy food, they added.
They also said that the packaging regulations should clearly contain warning messages. Food products containing sugar, salt, transfat and saturated fat should have warning messages on their packaging. It is important to clarify the level of any product in food, how it will be done and through which authority it will be implemented. Besides, regular monitoring, coordination and enforcement should be ensured in the implementation of these provisions.
Media News:
Call for mentioning details of sugar, salt and transfat info on food packets, Bangladesh Post
খাদ্য মোড়কে সুস্পষ্টভাবে চিনি, লবণ, ট্রান্সের তথ্য প্রদর্শন জরুরি, Dailynayadiganta
খাদ্য মোড়কে সুস্পষ্ট ভাবে চিনি, লবন, ট্রান্সের তথ্য প্রর্দশন দেয়া জরুরি
খাদ্য মোড়কে সুস্পষ্ট ভাবে চিনি, লবন, ট্রান্সের তথ্য প্রর্দশন দেয়া জরুরি, Holytimes