FAO reveals food safety work in Pakistan and Bangladesh

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has highlighted food safety-related work in several countries.

A food control system assessment has been started in Pakistan. The initiative aims to enhance governance and compliance with international food safety standards. The FAO-led assessment will provide recommendations and a framework to guide future interventions, ensuring that Pakistan’s food safety system is effective, transparent, and aligned with global best practices.

Ahsan Iqbal, federal minister for planning, development and special initiatives, said: “Pakistan faces multiple food-related challenges, including malnutrition and foodborne diseases, particularly among children. We must assign the highest priority to food safety in Pakistan — not just for the wellbeing of our people but also for achieving our economic growth targets.”

Iqbal said under the Uraan Pakistan initiative, exports will serve as a primary driver of economic growth.

“To fully realize this potential and maximize export revenues, we must align our food safety protocols with international standards. This requires a collaborative effort between government agencies, academia, and the private sector to identify regulatory gaps and implement a robust strategy,” he said. 

A presentation during a workshop highlighted foodborne illnesses impact one in five people in Pakistan — twice the global average — resulting in an estimated productivity loss of $1.7 billion annually.

“This initiative marks the beginning of a systematic approach to modernizing Pakistan’s food safety governance. The FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tool will evaluate the existing system across Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to identify areas for improvement,” said an FAO spokesman.

Pakistan requested the assessment to align with international food safety regulations, including Codex Alimentarius and the World Trade Organization’s agreement on sanitary and phytosanitary measures.

Bangladesh
The FAO also recently held a validation workshop to finalize updated residue control and monitoring plans for dry fish in Bangladesh.

The aim was to align Bangladesh’s pesticides management frameworks with requirements of the European Union and national regulations on pesticide residues in the fisheries sector.

Dia Sanou, deputy representative at FAO Bangladesh, said: “Bangladesh has become the third-largest global producer of farmed fish, exporting to over 50 countries, including major markets like the EU, the U.S., and Japan. However, the country faces growing challenges with chemical contamination in aquaculture products, particularly from banned drugs and other chemicals, leading to significant economic impacts and a loss of customer confidence.”

Bangladesh has implemented steps to enhance monitoring and control in the aquaculture sector. One initiative is the introduction of 100 percent pre-export testing for fishery products. These efforts aim to ensure that harmful substances do not enter the food chain and products meet the requirements of export markets.

Kyrgyzstan
A project implemented by FAO and the Ministry of Health of Kyrgyzstan aims to enhance the effectiveness of quality and food safety control systems in the Central Asian country.

An inception workshop was held in mid-February in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The meeting was attended by representatives from relevant ministries, the scientific community, academia, food producers, and experts in food safety.

Oleg Guchgeldiyev, FAO representative in the Kyrgyz Republic, said: “Effective systems for ensuring food safety and quality have enormous significance not only for protecting people’s health and wellbeing but also for stimulating economic development and improving living conditions through expanded access to domestic, regional, and international markets.”

The project will focus on improving capacity at the Department of Disease Prevention and State Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision under the Ministry of Health. Staff will be trained to apply standards such as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) at various stages of food production and storage, including at retail level.

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Source: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2025/02/fao-reveals-food-safety-work-in-pakistan-and-bangladesh/