Chattogram-9 MP Mohammad Abu Sufian has pledged to raise the demand for a right to food law in parliament and take concerns over food insecurity among low-income households to the relevant government authorities.
He made the commitment at a public hearing on food inflation at the Chattogram Press Club's S Rahman Hall today (15 October), according to the press release.
Held ahead of World Food Day 2026, the hearing focused on food shortages, rising prices and the impact of inflation on low-income urban communities.
Sufian said the government was planning to expand social safety nets, including family cards, to ensure food security. It was also taking steps to improve the socioeconomic conditions of marginalised and low-income people, whose benefits would become apparent soon, he added.
The programme, held under the banner "No compromise with hunger", was organised with support from Food Security Network–Khani Bangladesh, ISDE Bangladesh and Participatory Research and Action Network.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Central Committee Vice President and ISDE Bangladesh Executive Director SM Nazer Hossain chaired the hearing. Youth CAB Chattogram city unit President Abu Hanif Noman moderated it.
Participants from different occupations described how rising food prices were affecting their daily lives. They said their incomes had failed to keep pace with the cost of essential food items, leaving them struggling to meet household expenses.
Ensuring sufficient nutritious food for children, women and older people had become particularly difficult, they said, calling for measures to contain food prices, improve purchasing power and expand social protection.
Citing World Bank reports, speakers said the number of people living in poverty in Bangladesh had increased by around eight million over the past four years, including about 2.1 million in the past year. They also said around 62 million people remained at risk of falling into poverty.
The greatest burden of rising food prices was falling on poor and low-income households, they added.
Speakers said food was a basic human right and referred to Article 15(a) of the constitution, which identifies the provision of basic necessities, including food, as a fundamental responsibility of the state.
They called for a comprehensive right to food law to ensure access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food. Food security must be addressed alongside income, employment, fair wages, social protection and market management, rather than being confined to production and temporary assistance, they said.
Sufian stressed the need to address food insecurity among low-income households, improve their purchasing power and ensure access to safe and nutritious food. He assured participants that he would convey the problems and proposals raised at the hearing to the relevant authorities.
In his remarks, Nazer Hossain said sufficient food production alone could not guarantee the right to food. People must also be able to afford food and access safe, nutritious meals.
He urged policymakers to treat food as a responsibility of the state and a right of citizens, rather than a matter of charity.
Other speakers included columnist Musa Khan, CAB Chattogram city unit Joint Secretary Md Selim Jahangir, politician and social worker Mitul Das Gupta, women's leader Jannatul Ferdous, Sabujer Jatra Executive Director Sayera Begum, CAB Chandgaon unit President Md Jane Alam and Panchlaish unit President ABM Humayun Kabir.
Those who shared their experiences included garment workers Mehedi Hasan Emon and Aklima Akter; rickshaw-pullers Shankar Dutta, Md Hanif and Rasel Uddin; hawker Saiful Islam; food delivery rider Yasin Alam; small trader Mohammad Parvez; student Ammar Jaifullah; and ISDE Bangladesh Project Officer Raisul Islam.
Workers, students, young people, journalists and civil society representatives attended the hearing.
This year's World Food Day theme is "Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow."
Speakers said innovation in food systems should extend beyond technology to include people's experiences in policymaking and ensure accountability among elected representatives.
The opinions, recommendations and commitments made at the hearing will inform Khani Bangladesh's subsequent policy advocacy and public engagement activities demanding a right to food law.