JICA Helps Establish Food Testing Mini-Labs in 18 Districts of Bangladesh

Dulal Rahman, Dhaka – Mini-laboratories for food testing have been established at 18 district offices of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) with assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s institutional and technical capacity in food safety management. Technical assistance has also been provided to support laboratory operations at 64 district offices and eight metropolitan offices across the country.

The information was disclosed at a ceremony marking the final results and experience-sharing of the STIRC project, implemented with technical assistance from JICA to strengthen the inspection, control and coordination activities of the BFSA.

Speaking as the chief guest at the event held at the BFSA training room, Chairman of the authority and Additional Secretary Mohammad Shafiqul Islam said JICA is one of Bangladesh’s most trusted development partners. He added that Japan has long been a close and reliable friend of Bangladesh.

He said the STIRC project, implemented with JICA’s technical support, had played an important role in strengthening the institutional capacity of the BFSA, improving professional skills and raising public awareness.

The BFSA chairman said the project’s achievements would serve as an important foundation for building a strong, science-based and integrated food safety system in Bangladesh. He added that the initiative would also contribute to ensuring food safety at all levels through the collective participation of government agencies, the food industry and the public.

JICA Bangladesh Senior Representative Izumi Shoji said ensuring food safety was not merely a technical issue but was closely linked to public health protection, public confidence and the country’s economic development.

Highlighting JICA’s longstanding cooperation with the BFSA in strengthening Bangladesh’s food safety system, he expressed appreciation to the authority for making Japan a partner in the country’s efforts.

Since 2019, the STIRC project has been working with the BFSA to improve the institutional and technical capacity of Bangladesh’s food safety system through JICA’s technical cooperation.

Under the project, various initiatives have been undertaken to improve food safety administration, strengthen food inspection and sample collection, enhance laboratory operations, increase public awareness and develop the professional skills of relevant officials.

The project has also helped expand field-level capacity for food testing, sample analysis and identification of food safety risks. In addition, different aspects of the regulatory system have been reviewed to identify existing limitations in the implementation of food safety laws, regulations, standards and procedures.

To improve food inspection activities, training has been provided to food safety officers on inspection procedures, sample collectors on proper sample collection and laboratory personnel on testing techniques. The initiative has placed particular emphasis on developing skilled human resources to strengthen food safety monitoring and testing at the field level.

The project has also undertaken several initiatives to raise public awareness about food safety. These include training primary school students on food safety and hygiene, conducting training sessions for university students and canteen workers, and organizing training-of-trainers (ToT) programmes for sweet manufacturers. Training has also been provided to employees and officials working in hotels, restaurants and bakeries.

To improve hygiene and standards in food businesses, training videos have been developed on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and the Japanese 5S Kaizen methodology. Training manuals, food establishment inspection checklists and guidelines have also been prepared for food business operators. Public awareness campaigns have additionally been conducted through digital marketing strategies on social media platforms.

The programme was chaired by Shrabasti Roy, Secretary of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority and Project Director of the STIRC project. Representatives from the Ministry of Food, senior BFSA officials, project officials, food business representatives, development partners and non-governmental organizations attended the event.