TDS Desk:

About 5% of people suffer from diarrhoea daily due to unsafe food, Food Secretary Md Masudul Hasan said on Sunday (2 February).

“Ensuring nutrition is impossible without safe food, as unsafe consumption remains the root cause of malnutrition, especially among children and pregnant women, he said while speaking at a seminar organised by the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) at the lecture hall of the Super Specialised Hospital in Dhaka.

The seminar was held to mark National Food Safety Day 2025, with this year’s theme “Safe Food, Healthy People.”

BFSA Chairman (Additional Secretary) Zakaria presided over the seminar, where Food Secretary Md Masudul Hasan was the chief guest.

“Food, health, and wellness are interconnected. To stay healthy, one must consume safe food. Sunday the world is concerned about food safety for 700 billion people,” said Masudul Hasan.

He went on to say, “Due to unsafe food, 5% of people are affected by diarrhoea daily. Various global factors hinder food safety, including contamination like aconite infections in vegetables, which also hampers exports. I hope on Sunday seminar will provide valuable guidance on ensuring food safety”

Citing WHO data, BFSA Chairman Zakaria noted, “At least 80 people die daily and 30,000 annually from diarrhoea in Bangladesh, primarily due to unsafe food. We have introduced educational tools like Ludo games to raise awareness among children about food safety.”

The seminar was attended by around 200 participants, including officials from the Ministry of Food, academicians, researchers, doctors, food business representatives, civil society members, and journalists.