The trend of consumption of packaged food is increasing among the citizens. All these packaged foods contain ingredients like salt, sugar and transfats. Excessive use of these elements is one of the causes of non-communicable diseases like heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes. The use of salt, sugar and transfats in packaged food will be reduced to ensure good health of citizens. And for this purpose, health warning along with traffic light marking on packaged food is necessary. So that citizens can easily understand the amount of salt, sugar and transfats in it by looking at the packaging marking. Besides, it is necessary to take legal steps to stop advertising of unhealthy food to children or aimed at children.
The speakers said these things at the consultation meeting titled ‘Existing Laws, Policies for Ensuring Healthy Food: Obstacles and Actions’ organized by the Center for Law and Policy Affairs (CLPA) at Hotel Bengal Blueberry in Gulshan in the capital on Saturday (March 30, 2024).
The Director General (Additional Secretary) of Food Planning and Supply Unit of the Ministry of Food was present as the chief guest in the event. Shahidul Alam, Supreme Court lawyer and Chairman of Board of Trustees of Dhaka International University Barrister Shamim Haider Patwari, Supreme Court lawyer and former Senior Assistant Secretary of Bangladesh Supreme Court Bar Association Nurunnabi Bulbul were the special guests. CLPA’s Research Consultant Professor Dr. presided over the event. Apham Sarwar and moderated by CLPA Policy Analyst Kamrunnicha Munna. Besides, Supreme Co
urt lawyers, officials of development agencies and various media persons were present among others.
Advocate Syed Mahbubul Alam, presenting the main article at the meeting, said that nutritional information is given on the packaging of existing packaged food in Bangladesh. But this information is not possible for common people to understand. As per the existing Safe Food Act, it is important to ensure health warnings along with traffic light markings on packaged foods. So that even illiterate people can get an idea about healthy food in the country of Morka Kala.
Speakers at the event said, we have to be careful with food packaging, because now microplastics are entering the human body. From which the terrible loss is being faced. Besides, there are many unhealthy food advertisements in Bangladesh. These advertisements are being spread to attract chil
dren to unhealthy food. It is necessary to ban the advertisement of these unhealthy foods through the law.
The speakers also said that Bangladesh ranks 7th in diabetes and 10th in hypertension. Our health sector will be under threat if we do not control non-communicable diseases in the health sector quickly. We spend a lot on treatment. Individuals bear 60 percent of the cost of treatment, leaving them poor. Because I am damaging the kidney by taking gastric medicine without reason. As a result, the government has to impose high taxes on sugar, salt, packet food and spend them on the medical sector.
Speakers at the meeting recommended traffic light markings on packaged food along with health warnings, zero quota of trans fat in food, adoption of policies on storage and preservation of fresh fruits and vegetables, banning advertisements of unhealthy food targeting children, additional tax on unhealthy food and imposition of healthy levy. done