Bangladesh's first mass-media campaign for front-of-pack labelling (FOPL), warnings on the front of ultra-processed foods and drinks high in sugar, salt or saturated fat, was launched on Sunday, 25 October, at the National Press Club in Dhaka. Its aim is to raise public awareness and build support for the government's work on an effective policy.
The event was organised jointly by PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress), the National Heart Foundation, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, Work for a Better Bangladesh (WBB) Trust, the Coalition for Healthy Food and the Centre for Law and Policy Affairs (CLPA). The chief guest, Bangladesh Food Safety Authority chairman Md Shafiqul Islam, said the authority is working on the regulations needed for FOPL to make people aware of unhealthy packaged food and drink.
The campaign comes against a growing burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). According to the organisers, NCDs account for about 71 percent of all deaths in Bangladesh, with heart disease and type 2 diabetes among the leading causes. About 31.8 percent of adults are overweight and 13.4 percent are obese, both of which raise the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
An octagonal warning label on the front of a pack lets shoppers see at a glance whether a food or drink contains too much sugar, salt or saturated fat. The organisers say that by presenting nutrition information simply, such labels help people make informed choices and discourage the purchase of unhealthy products, and that they are regarded as an evidence-based policy for improving the food environment.
Over two months the campaign will run video and audio adverts, still images and other materials on television, radio, online and print newspapers, social media and Google ads. Professor Dr Sohel Reza Choudhury, head of epidemiology and research at the National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, chaired the event; speakers included Professor Dr Mohammad Shoeb, member of the Food Safety Authority, and Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, country lead of the Global Health Advocacy Incubator.
Reported by Banglanews24's senior correspondent.
Photo: Diagram of a nutrition information panel, Hglu23 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: Banglanews24
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