Md Saifullah, A K Azad, M Shahjahan and S Ahmmed
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council, Bangladesh
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Food Process Technol
Bangladesh attains self sufficiency in food grain production despite decreasing of agricultural land. Rice production has increased 3.18 times (33.5 mt), wheat 12.25 times (1.30 mt) and maize production increased 757.0 times (2.5 mt) from 2071-72 to 2013-14. Vegetable production has increased 79 times (3.13 mt) and potato production increased 3.6 times (8.4 mt) from 1971-72 to 2013-14. Production share of aquaculture about 58% of the total fish production in 2013-14 (3.50 mt) and Bangladesh stands 4th in the world in producing sweet water fish. Foods in Bangladesh are now available but nutritious balance diet intake and unsafe foods are big challenges. The problem persists at different level of the food chain from preparation to consumption like manufacturers, processors, restaurants, fast food outlets etc. Foods are unsafe or adulterated by using various harmful chemicals and artificial colors, stored, sold and served to consumers in an unhygienic atmosphere in many cases. It is endangering public health seriously with numerous acute and chronic diseases. Our future generation will be seriously affected with vulnerable physical and mental growth with the intake of unsafe foods. The paper describes the socioeconomic conditions, nutritious foods, common and occupational hazards of food vendors, microbial risk associated with safe foods, safety interventions, control measures, regulatory aspects and legal requirements, financial constraints and attitudes. The study intend to inform the current scenario of foods intake, impact of consumption of unsafe foods on human health and wish to bring a positive change through proper measures by the concerned regulatory authorities.
Email: m.saif@barc.gov.bd