Food safety in Bangladesh: Market characterization and food safety awareness of food vendors and customers

Access to enough safe and nutritious food is a key to sustaining life and promoting good health. Food can however also be a vehicle of disease transmission if contaminated with harmful microbes (bacteria, viruses, or parasites) or chemicals/toxins. Around the world, an estimated 600 million - almost 1 in 10 people – fall ill after eating contaminated food each year, resulting in 420,000 deaths and the loss of 33 million healthy, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) (WHO, 2022). The WHO South-East Asia Region accounted for 150 million illnesses, 175 000 deaths, and 12 million DALYs in 2010 due to food contamination (WHO, 2022).

The occurrence of foodborne diseases and other food safety hazards is substantially high in Bangladesh due to its dense human population, underdeveloped infrastructure and poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions. Approximately 30 million people experience at least one form of foodborne disease each year in Bangladesh (Al Banna et al., 2021). Nevertheless, the food safety system and the regulatory framework in the country are still in their infancy. The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) was established in 2015 under the Ministry of Food and is involved in coordinating agencies, formulating rules and regulations, and establishing maximum residue limits for chemicals and other contaminants (Suman et al., 2021). The food control system in Bangladesh involves numerous ministries and agencies and food safety is governed by several laws and regulations. Nevertheless, the current situation still presents significant gaps and challenges that need to be addressed in order to effectively manage food safety risks and establish a robust food safety system (Noman & Ali, 2013.; Suman et al., 2021). Despite having laws and regulations in place, food contamination and adulteration in Bangladesh remains a serious public health concern (Noman & Ali, 2013). In order to advance the food safety agenda of government and other food system actors in Bangladesh it is necessary to generate a greater understanding of food handling practices among food vendors in the country, as well as food safety perceptions among consumers. To contribute to this endeavor, the objective of this study was to investigate food safety risks, awareness and practices among food vendors and customers in supermarkets and traditional markets.