Speakers at a webinar marking National Food Safety Day said rising consumption of unhealthy and processed foods is driving a sharp increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including hypertension, in Bangladesh, stressing that greater consumer awareness is key to addressing the problem.
Citing World Health Organization (WHO) data, they said foods high in salt, sugar and fat significantly increase the risk of hypertension and other NCDs, and emphasised that Front-of-Pack Labelling (FOPL) could play a crucial role in informing consumers and encouraging healthier choices.
The observations were made at a webinar titled “Safe Food to Combat Non-Communicable Diseases and Our Role”, organised by research and advocacy organisation PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress), with support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), on Sunday.
National Food Safety Day will be observed this year under the theme “Nirapod Khaddo Nishchit Kori, Sustho Sobol Jibon Gori.”
According to WHO data shared at the webinar, an estimated 570,263 people die each year in Bangladesh from NCDs. Speakers also cited the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, which attributes around 27,387 deaths annually to unhealthy dietary practices, including excessive sodium intake, consumption of trans-fats and sugar-sweetened beverages.
Despite the growing burden, speakers noted that only 4.2% of the total health budget is allocated to NCD control.
Professor Dr Sohel Reza Choudhury, head of the Department of Epidemiology and Research at the National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, said promoting healthy dietary habits and reducing reliance on processed foods were essential to lowering NCD risks.
Professor Dr Nazma Shaheen, former director of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Dhaka, said introducing Front-of-Pack Labelling was necessary to inform consumers about unhealthy food components such as excess salt, sugar and trans-fat.
Professor Dr Mohammad Shoeb, member of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority, said the government was working to introduce an easy-to-understand FOPL system to raise awareness of the health risks associated with processed foods.
Bangladesh Country Lead of GHAI Muhammad Ruhul Quddus stressed the need for sustainable financing alongside public awareness initiatives to effectively tackle NCDs such as hypertension.
Md Monir Hossain Liton, head of online (Bangla) at Daily Times of Bangladesh, participated as a discussant. The webinar was chaired by ABM Zubair, executive director of PROGGA, and moderated by Samiha Bintay Kamal, program officer at PROGGA.
Journalists from print, television and online media, civil society representatives, experts and stakeholders from across the country also joined the event.
