A three-member high-level committee has been formed at the direction of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to identify and resolve the challenges facing agencies responsible for ensuring food safety, maintaining product quality, and carrying out anti-adulteration drives.
The committee was asked to submit a report within one month identifying both immediate and long-term institutional challenges, along with recommendations for addressing them, said Deputy Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Sujon Mahmud at a press briefing on Monday.
The directive came at a meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office at the Bangladesh Secretariat in the afternoon. The meeting was attended by officials from the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA), the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), city corporations, and field-level officials involved in anti-adulteration drives and mobile court operations.
The committee will comprise Public Administration Adviser Ismail Zabiullah, State Minister for Public Administration Abdul Bari, and Cabinet Secretary Dr Nasimul Gani. It has been tasked with identifying problems requiring immediate solutions as well as long-term reforms and submitting its recommendations within one month.
During the meeting, officials from the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority, and BSTI outlined a range of challenges hampering their work. They cited shortages of district-level manpower, inadequate laboratory facilities, outdated field equipment, and the need for stronger institutional support.
The officials also said they face security risks while conducting enforcement drives against influential syndicates and vested interests. They called for expanding the authority of mobile courts to make anti-adulteration enforcement more effective.
After hearing the concerns, the prime minister assured the officials that the government would move quickly to address the issues and directed the formation of the high-level committee to recommend measures for strengthening the relevant institutions and improving their operational capacity.
"Challenges will always exist. Yet we must continue moving forward despite those challenges. We cannot afford to remain idle. Many countries that were once less developed than us have progressed far ahead. We, too, must move forward. If everyone works together with sincerity, it is certainly possible. In the interest of the country, everyone must become more responsible and more aware," the prime minister said.
Stressing the importance of public awareness, the prime minister cited the management of Gulshan Lake as an example.
"Many of our lakes are being filled with garbage. Sadly, much of that waste is dumped by educated people. Those who are expected to be the most conscious often fail to act responsibly. Transforming the country requires not only government initiatives but also the goodwill and responsibility of citizens. Everyone must come forward with greater awareness," he said.
Among those present at the meeting were Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Abdus Sattar, Commerce Secretary Ataur Rahman Khan, Additional Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Atikur Rahman Rumman, and BSTI Director General Kazi Imdadul Haque.