UNIDO and IFC join forces for advancing food safety regulatory framework in Bangladesh

UNIDO and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) organized a Learning Week held on 4-9 April 2021 that equipped Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) staff with ideas of existing concepts and tools in food safety regulatory enforcement, which are inevitable to build a robust national food control system.

The series of workshops held as part of the Leaning Week aimed to share international best practices and facilitate dialogue with leading international experts and regulators from developed countries. The workshops were attended by more than 70 officers from Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) involved in the development of food safety regulations, as well as in official control in food safety. A number of presentations were held by representatives and experts from IFC, UNIDO, FSSC22000 and UK Food Standards Agency on the domains of food safety reform, food regulatory and institutional framework, food regulatory programmes, voluntary third-party assurance and COVID-19 responses in food handling. UNIDO’s Food Safety Approach was highlighted through the topics of two specific sessions, focusing on the improvement of regulatory functions for agri-food value chains and internationally recognized third-party certification services in the country. The active involvement of BFSA officers have further enriched the discussion among the participants and provided more clarity on the country’s needs in this regard.

At the end of the event, Abdul Kayowm Sarker BFSA Chairman stated “This type of learning programme will booster new ideas and improve our capacities”, expressing special thank to IFC and UNIDO for the initiative. All attendees of this training have gained a Certificate of Attendance from IFC and UNIDO after successful completion of online assessment covering the topics from the Learning Week.

For further information contact Gabor Molnar (G.Molnar [at] unido.org (G[dot]Molnar[at]unido[dot]org))

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