A mass media campaign was launched in Dhaka on Sunday to raise public awareness and build support for front-of-package warning labels on packaged foods and drinks high in sugar, salt and saturated fat.
The campaign aims to help consumers identify unhealthy products more easily and support the government's efforts to introduce warning labels in Bangladesh.
The campaign, titled the Front-of-Package Warning Labels (FOPL) Campaign, was launched at a press conference at the National Press Club. It is jointly organised by the Coalition for Healthy Food, Centre for Law and Policy Affairs (CLPA), Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM), National Heart Foundation (NHF), PROGGA and Work for a Better Bangladesh (WBB) Trust.
The initiative comes amid a growing burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the country. According to the campaign organisers, NCDs account for nearly 71 percent of all deaths in Bangladesh, with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes among the leading causes.
Around 31.8 percent of adults in Bangladesh are overweight, while 13.4 percent live with obesity, the organisers said. Both conditions increase the risk of NCDs, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Front-of-package warning labels are designed to help consumers quickly identify products containing excessive amounts of sugar, salt and saturated fat. By presenting nutritional information clearly, the labels can help people make informed food choices and discourage the purchase of unhealthy products, the organisers said.
Md Safiqul Islam, chairman of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) and an additional secretary, attended the event as chief guest and formally inaugurated the campaign.
“Ensuring safe food remains one of the authority’s key priorities. To this end, the BFSA is working to formulate the necessary regulations on front-of-package warning labels (FOPL) to raise public awareness of unhealthy packaged foods and beverages high in sugar, salt and saturated fat,” he said.
The event was chaired by Dr Sohel Reza Choudhury, professor and head of research and epidemiology at the National Heart Foundation. Iqbal Masud, director of the health and WASH sector at Dhaka Ahsania Mission, moderated the programme.
Professor Dr Mohammad Shoeb, a BFSA member responsible for food industry and production, and Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, Bangladesh country lead at Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), attended as special guests.
Saifuddin Ahmed, executive director of WBB Trust; ABM Zubair, executive director of PROGGA; and Advocate Syed Mahbubul Alam, secretary of CLPA, were also present.
The two-month campaign will continue until December 13, using television, radio, digital platforms, social media, online and print newspapers, and Google advertising.
Campaign materials will include video and audio advertisements, static images and other public awareness content, which will also be shared through the social media pages of participating organisations.
The campaign organisers said the initiative would highlight excessive levels of unhealthy ingredients in commonly consumed packaged products and support the government in introducing regulations on front-of-package warning labels for packaged foods and drinks.