Bangladesh, Denmark to Work Jointly on Food Safety

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing new cooperation for food safety and sustainable food production has been signed by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority.

According to the embassy, this will further solidify the two countries' relationship.

According to the "Sustainable and Green Framework Engagement" between the two countries, Denmark and Bangladesh have had a close relationship for a long time and have a desire to continue working together in the food and agricultural industries for the benefit of both nations.

The signing ceremony took place on Thursday at the Ministry of Food in the presence of Secretary of Food Md Ismail Hossain, Chairman of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority Md Abdul Kayowm Sarker, Chargé d-Affaires of the Embassy of Denmark Anders Karlsen, and Sector Counsellor at the Embassy Maria Knudsen.

The MoU aims to foster a strategic sector cooperation and enhance scientific, technical, and regulatory collaboration within food safety and sustainable food productions between two trusted and amicable nations.

Through this partnership, both countries seek to collaborate on multiple initiatives that leverage their unique expertise, technologies, and resources to deliver innovative solutions for safe food and sustainable agriculture practices. 

Food Secretary Ismail Hossain said: “The MoU signing is really a great milestone in the journey of ensuring food safety in Bangladesh.  This collaboration marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to enhance food safety standards and regulatory practices in Bangladesh.” 

Abdul Kayowm Sarker, the chairman of Bangladesh Food Safety Authority said: “As we strive to safeguard the health and well-being of our citizens, this collaboration will enable us to adopt best practices, learn from international experiences, and implement evidence-based strategies to address the evolving challenges in the food safety landscape. Our joint efforts will undoubtedly result in safer food for our consumers and further bolster our reputation in the global food market.” 

“Denmark and Bangladesh have had a close relationship throughout the last 50 years. We are happy to take this relationship an important step further with this MoU, with an in-depth collaboration to create a more sustainable and safe food production,” said Karlsen.

By creating collaboration between governments, international organizations, the private sector, and civil society organizations, the primary focus is to ensure food safety as a critical step to addressing the challenges of food loss and waste while implementing measures to enhance overall resource efficiency in agricultural, livestock, and fisheries production.

Maria Stein Knudsen, sector counsellor for Food and Agriculture at the Danish Embassy, also present during the signing, said: “Bangladesh and Denmark are both two proud agriculture and food producing countries. We are facing a global challenge ensuring safe and nutritious food, while also creating a more sustainable production."