June 2023, IFC hosted the 10th International Food Safety Forum in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The event emphasized the promotion of safe and nutritious food while aiming to prevent food losses. Over the past decade, IFC has played a pivotal role in assisting food companies operating in emerging markets to integrate the best food safety practices. Additionally, IFC has worked to strengthen governments' capabilities in enhancing food safety control systems worldwide. IFC’s 10th International Food Safety Forum brought together private and public sector players in agribusiness with an interest in global food safety. The theme of this year’s forum was Keeping Food Safe and Nutritious, Preventing Losses. It focused on highlighting the impacts of good practices in food safety, nutrition, and food waste on climate and inequity. It also sought to investigate how the private sector can help address the challenges and reap the opportunities. Bangladesh Food Safety Authority, under the Ministry of Food, was the co-partner for the forum.
Natia Mgeladze B. M. Masiur Rahman Global Lead, Food Safety and Food Loss Prevention Advisory International Finance Corporation Deputy Director Bangladesh Food Safety Authority FORUM MODERATORS How can we empower and incentivize the private sector (formal and informal) to deliver safe and nutritious food and prevent food losses? How can we prevent food losses in developing countries, increase consumer trust, and create demand for safer and nutritious food for domestic consumers? What are the best international practices for food safety enhancement? KEY THEMES
Chairman, Bangladesh Food Safety Authority MR. MD. ABDUL KAYOWM SARKER BFSA Presentation IFC Country Manager, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal MARTIN HOLTMANN Opening Remarks by IFC Global Director WAGNER ALBUQUERQUE DE ALMEIDA Special Guest MP Hon., Minister, Ministry of Food, Government of Bangladesh MR. SADHAN CHANDRA MAJUMDER Chief Guest Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of Bangladesh MR. RABINDRA SRI BARUA Special Guest Acting Secretary, Ministry of Food, Government of Bangladesh DR. SALMA MOMTAZ Chair OPENING SESSION The IFC 10th International Food Safety Forum at Dhaka kicked off with an opening session where IFC officials along with key stakeholders from the relevant fields of food safety and food and agriculture industries joined to begin the day’s proceeding.
Simone Moraes Raszl DSc., MSc., Scientist, Multisectoral Action in Food Systems (AFS), Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, WHO KEYNOTE SPEAKER The WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety 2022–2030 brings the vision to ensure that all people, everywhere, consume safe and healthy food. It aims to strengthen national food safety systems through multisectoral collaboration and international cooperation. For the first time food safety indicators to measure the progress of the implementation are being used. The Multisectoral collaboration mechanism for food safety events from the State Party Self-Assessment Annual Reporting (SPAR) and the Surveillance of foodborne diseases and contamination from the Joint External Evaluation (JEE), both related to the assessment of food safety capacities of the International Health Regulations (IHR, 2005). The implementation of the WHO Global Strategy starts with the assessment of the food safety capacities according to the five strategic priorities. Once the gaps and areas for improvement are identifies, an action plan can be developed and implemented. WHO is working with IFC/WB to develop an assessment tool tailored to the strategic priorities to support countries in the definition of areas to be strengthened and improve national food safety systems.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE COOPERATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN WHO AND IFC IFC and WHO for the 1st time signed a Cooperation Agreement in food safety. We believe this is just the beginning a long and fruitful work together. It is also a milestone for IFC, as the Cooperation Agreement speaks about the high recognition of the policy product developed by IFC in the food safety area – the IFC Scan Guide. We are enormously proud that the IFC Scan Guide will be used by WHO when implementing its new Strategy for food safety in 197 countries. It is remarkable that we announce the signing of a Cooperation Agreement with WHO here in Dhaka. Bangladesh is the very country where the IFC Scan Guide has been piloted to analyze national food systems in areas such as food safety, food fortification, food loss and waste and animal welfare and use of antibiotics in livestock production. We appreciate the support rendered by the BFSA in this activity and we believe that the results of this Pilot will be useful for the country to identify the direction where to go to enhance its food system. – Wagner Albuquerque de Almeida, IFC Global Director
OPENING CEREMONY
FOOD SAFETY STRATEGIES - A Path to Growth hat are the prerequisites of a successful food business? Why does the food processing industry need to focus on best practices in food safety and new technologies to become strong players in the domestic market and to open new markets abroad? The food sector accounts for 22% of the total manufacturing production in Bangladesh and employs about 2.2% of the entire workforce. How can food safety be built upon to ensure efficiencies in responding to other sustainability demands from export markets? What tools are there for food businesses to use? The panel discussed worldwide strategies to improve practices on food safety culture and regulations. Moderator Kateryna Onul, Food Safety Policy and Regulatory Lead, IFC Panelist Natia Mgeladze, Global Lead, IFC Food Safety and Fool Loss Prevention Advisory Mr. Monzur Morshed Ahmed, Member (Public Health and Nutrition), Bangladesh Food Safety Authority Jacob Morrin, Agriculture Officer, Feed the Future Mission Coordinator, USAID: Feed the Future Dr. Zaki Uz Zaman (PhD), UNIDO Country Representative, Bangladesh Country Office Sridhar Dharmapuri, Senior Food Safety and Nutrition Officer at the FAO Regional Office for the Asia-Pacific in Bangkok
Export opportunities can be a powerful driver for better food safety practices. However, in some developing countries, this has led to a “twotier” system, with high-quality, safe food being exported to higher-end markets in the developed countries, while domestic companies, who lag behind in terms of compliance, are held to a lower standard. Can we learn from multinational retailers and companies entering developing countries? What lessons do they have for onboarding smaller suppliers? What are the main challenges? Can we encourage a more active role for the government? How can the large domestic players in the private sector shape new initiatives on food safety? What are businesses in the EU, UK, and AUS sustainability requirements for suppliers and products and, where does food safety feature? Discover how leading companies around the globe have made the most of their investments in food safety and demonstrated the benefits to the financial bottom line while operating in a sustainable manner. EMPOWERING PRIVATE SECTOR LEADERSHIP Moderator Ernest Bethe, Agribusiness Advisory Manager for Asia, IFC Panelist Rowshan Tamanna, Senior Investment Officer, IFC; Ms. Uzma Chowdhury, Finance Director, PRAN-RFL Group, Bangladesh; Sabbir Hasan, Executive Director, ACI Logistics Ltd., Bangladesh; Pavel Tanvir, Director, Rupshi Flour Mills Limited, Bangladesh; Mr. Mahbubur Rahman, Director General, Export Promotion Bureau, Bangladesh
SUSTAINABILITY AND PREVENTION OF FOOD LOSS AND WASTE Moderator: Harsh Vivek, Bangladesh Food Safety Diagnostic Project Lead, IFC Panelists: Yuriy Zvazhenko, International Food Safety and Food Loss and Waste expert, IFC; Amadou Ba, Senior Agriculture Specialist, World Bank Group, Bangladesh; Zakia Sultana Labony, Director, Master Card, Bangladesh; Nabil Imran Siddiquee, Supply Chain Lead, Unilever Consumer Care Limited; Md Momtaz Uddin ndc, Director General, Food Planning and Monitoring Unit, Ministry of Food, Bangladesh Bangladesh, approximately 10.62 million tons of food are wasted annually, with each person discarding around 65 kg of food yearly. Food waste sources include households (61%), food service (26%), and retail. However, the majority of food is lost before reaching consumers, with 87% lost during production, handling, storage, processing, distribution, and market stages. This global issue affects the climate and exacerbates hunger, particularly impacting women. To address this challenge, we must transform food production to nourish the land, climate, and people. Food loss refers to waste during production, while food waste is after purchase. Existing measures to combat this issue must be implemented by the food industry, including farmers and retailers, to reduce negative impacts and build resilient businesses.
hile managing food safety risks relies on many actors across the food value chain, social and gender norms often dictate how these roles are divided between men and women. Evidence suggests that women adopt better food safety practices and play crucial roles in ensuring safe and nutritious food for their households. However, gender dynamics and challenges affect women’s productivity, farming practices, and overall food safety outcomes across food value chains. This panel discussion explored the link between gender inclusion and food safety, including its impact on nutrition, food security, and food waste. It also looked at the role of various stakeholders in creating equitable, safe, and profitable food systems. GENDER - SMART SOLUTIONS FOR FOOD SAFETY Moderator Priyadarshini Rakh, Gender Specialist - Manufacturing, Agribusiness & Services / Health & Education, IFC Speakers Sanola Alexia Daley, Gender Lead, Manufacturing, Agribusiness & Services / Health & Education, IFC Mr. Zahidul Islam, Managing Director, Bayer Crop Science Ltd., Bangladesh Siddharth Chaturvedi, Senior Program Officer, Agriculture Development, Asia. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Mr. Salahuddin Mahmud, Deputy Managing Director, SME Foundation Kishwar Chowdhury, Celebrity Chef
Bangladesh, the usual diets are typically deficient in one or more micronutrients, notably vitamin A, iron, iodine, and/or zinc. Food fortification is the practice of identifying widely consumed and centrally processed items to ensure fortification during the manufacturing and distribution of food. By supplying important nutrients in food, food fortification is a safe and effective strategy for increasing macronutrient consumption. How can food fortification be practiced effectively? How can we foster it? What are the advantages of food fortification? This panel discussed these questions. GAFSP SPECIAL SESSION ON FOOD SAFETY AND NUTRITION Moderator Niraj Shah, Program Manager, Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), IFC Speakers Dr. Md. Taherul Islam Khan, Director, Bangladesh National Nutrition Counsel Prof. Dr. Md Abdul Alim, Member (Food Industry & Production), Bangladesh Food Safety Authority Mr. Syed Alamgir, CEO-FMCG Division, Meghna Group of Industries, Bangladesh Tanveer Ali, Co-Founder and CFO, Frontier Nutrition Inc., Bangladesh Tiago Van Zeller, International Fortification Expert, IFC
HOW ‘IT’ SOLUTIONS CAN HELP THE PRIVATE SECTOR MANAGE RISK Moderator Marta Bogdanic, Senior Operations Officer in Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Services Advisory, IFC Speakers Alan Johnson, Global Lead for Stronger Smallholder Supply Chains, IFC Raman Ahuja, Co-Founder, ThinkAg, India Mridul Chowdhury, CEO and Founder, mPower, Bangladesh Arfan Ali, Co-Founder, Financial Services, ShopUp Dr. Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir, Project Director (Additional Secretary), Aspire to Innovate(a2i) Programme, ICT Division nyone who has implemented a food safety management system recognizes the benefits of digitalization. Yet, technology solutions are still relatively new in emerging markets, few companies have taken the leap to transition to entirely digital food safety management systems. Some solutions may create new challenges. Here, companies shared their experiences—good and bad—as they sought to bring their food safety systems into the 21st century.
IFC FOOD SYSTEM ASSESSMENT RESULTS In 2022, IFC conducted the assessment of four elements of the Bangladesh National Food System, focusing on: i) food safety ii) food fortification iii) food loss and waste iv) animal welfare and the use of antibiotics in livestock production The assessment is based on the IFC Scan Guide, which led to the identification of the current status of policy, regulatory, institutional, and capacity-building frameworks in the four aforementioned areas, and the identification of challenges that the country is facing. It helped develop recommendations based on best international practices, considering the country’s context. The IFC team shared the key findings of the assessment and recommendations on how to strengthen food systems in Bangladesh from the public sector and will invite session participants to discuss. Moderator Kateryna Onul, Food Safety Policy and Regulatory Lead, IFC Mr. Md. Abdul Kayowm Sarker, Chairman, Bangladesh Food Safety Authority
CELEBRITY CHEF KISHWAR CHOWDHURY Kishwar Chowdhury's sustainable approach to cooking has positively impacted the culinary industry by promoting environmental conservation and social responsibility. She emphasizes using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients to reduce carbon footprint and support local producers. Additionally, she advocates for eco-friendly cooking techniques and reducing food waste. Her dedication to inclusivity and diversity has also made the culinary industry more welcoming and innovative, encouraging individuals from diverse backgrounds to pursue culinary careers. Her efforts have inspired others and raised awareness about the environmental and social impact of food choices, making the industry more environmentally conscious, socially responsible, and innovative. According to her cooking journey, she think food culture influences food safety through traditional preparation techniques, emphasis on fresh ingredients, culinary customs, sharing practices, food preservation methods, food handling practices, and traditional knowledge. By combining traditional wisdom with modern food safety practices, individuals and communities can enjoy safe and wholesome meals.
MR. TAPAN KANTI GHOSH Chief Guest Senior Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Government of Bangladesh Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Government of Bangladesh DR. NAHID RASHID Special Guest Chairman, Bangladesh Food Safety Authority MR. MD. ABDUL KAYOWM SARKER BFSA Presentation Agribusiness Advisory Manager for Asia, IFC ERNEST BETHE Chair Member (Food Consumption & Consumer Rights), Bangladesh Food Safety Authority MD. REJAUL KARIM Chair CLOSING REMARKS Dr. Nahid Rashid, Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock: “The government of Bangladesh is working to ensure food safety, and the USDA has implemented a certification program for safe and high-quality vegetable production. Collaboration among stakeholders is essential to address issues like environmental degradation and postharvest losses throughout the food chain. Food businesses in South Asia and Asia need to work together to promote global food safety and improve nutritional quality.” Mr. Tapan Kanti Ghosh, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Commerce: “Food safety is an integral part of nutrition governance that involves monitoring and regulating the entire food supply chain to minimize the occurrence of foodborne illnesses and ensure the nutritional quality of food. Policies related to food production, agricultural practices, food fortification, dietary guidelines, public health campaigns, and social safety nets are designed to address various aspects of nutrition, such as access to nutritious food, dietary diversity, food affordability, and nutrition education. Inspection services are fundamental for healthy diets and food security, and they can contribute to enhancing the quality of food, productivity, and consumer trust and awareness.” Mr. Md. Abdul Kayowm Sarker, Chairman, Bangladesh Food Safety Authority: “It was an inspiring event for all of us. This forum is not only about one nation or specific authority, each of us has a role to ensure food safety. By integrating these topics and considering the interconnectedness of food safety, transparent supply chains, innovation, individual responsibility, and sustainability, we can work towards a safer and more sustainable food system that benefits both human health and the environment.” Ernest Bethe, Agribusiness Advisory Manager for Asia, IFC: “By increasing impact, the food value chain can become more dependable, effective, and capable of providing consumers with wholesome food. Creating and implementing thorough methods for food regulations, such as establishing and monitoring quality standards, carrying out inspections, and enforcing compliance, help to lower the risk of contamination and guarantee that consumers are receiving safe food.” Md. Rejaul Karim, Member (Food Consumption & Consumer Rights), Bangladesh Food Safety Authority: “It is not easy for government only to ensure food safety it needs all of us to work together, working with IFC is a visual presentation of governments to work on that.”
CONTACT US Natia Mgeladze, Global Lead IFC Food Safety and Food Loss Prevention Advisory E: [email protected] Learn more www.ifc.org/foodsafety