Home
Editorial Calendar
Call for action to curb food waste in Bangladesh
Story in: November-2025
Story: Call for action to curb food waste in Bangladesh
Food waste and wastage are significant problems in Bangladesh, where an estimated 34 percent of food produced is either lost or wasted. This results in 27 percent of the country’s land being used for food that is never eaten, 13 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, and a cost equivalent to 4 percent of the national GDP.
To address this issue, the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), the Royal Danish Embassy in Dhaka, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Bank, and the World Food Programme (WFP) jointly organized a conference titled ‘Towards Zero Food Waste and Loss: Building a Sustainable Food Value Chain in Bangladesh’. The conference brought together key stakeholders to develop effective solutions to reduce food waste in the country. Here are some highlights from the panelists.
*Ms. Farida Akhtar, Honorable Advisor to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, stressed the importance of addressing food waste to ensure food security in Bangladesh. She commented, ‘Despite impressive growth, Bangladesh still suffers from malnutrition, especially among women, and food distribution is still unequal. Therefore, reducing food waste and wastage is a crucial step for Bangladesh to ensure food security. Farmers often struggle to produce food with little support for storage, pricing, or infrastructure. When they do store their produce, they lack adequate price support, which leads to wastage.
*Mr. Mohammad Yasin, Additional Secretary, Administration Branch, Ministry of Food, Government of Bangladesh, commented, ‘Bangladesh is losing soil fertility, money, water, and labor, while simultaneously producing less food for the poor and marginalized. The opportunity cost is immense, and the population is left with limited food choices.
*Mr. Anders Carlsen, Chargé d'Affaires of the Danish Embassy in Bangladesh, emphasized the scale of food loss worldwide, saying, 'One-third of all food produced is either lost or wasted, using a land area larger than China's to produce food that no one will eat.' He further discussed the economic impact, saying, 'It is not just food that is wasted; agricultural land and greenhouse gases are also lost during production and transportation.' Mr. Carlsen also emphasized the need for urgent action, saying, 'The best time to act is today. If not yesterday, then today.'
*Discussing the issue of food loss and wastage, Mr. Dia Sano, Deputy Representative of FAO, explained the global and local impact of food waste, saying, 'The world produces enough food to feed more than 1.5 times the world's population, yet food insecurity and malnutrition persist due to unequal distribution, weak infrastructure and, most importantly, food waste and wastage.' Despite the surplus, food waste prevents adequate food from reaching the neediest people.
*Mr. Jesse Wood, Deputy Country Director in Charge of the WFP Bangladesh Office, highlighted the scale of food waste in Bangladesh, noting that studies have shown that ‘8-15 percent of rice is lost after harvest and 20-40 percent of fruits and vegetables are wasted, worth US$2.4 billion.’ He noted that despite Bangladesh being a strong food production hub, producing significant quantities of vegetables, fish, and essential commodities, the country is forced to import its produce due to limitations in storage and cold chain, which is a missed opportunity for both farmers and the economy.
*CPD Executive Director Dr. Fahmida Khatun, referring to the environmental impact, said, ‘If we increase food loss and wastage, we are depleting scarce environmental resources. Bangladesh is one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, making it imperative to reduce food waste.’
The first panel session, titled ‘Policy and Regulation’, focused on the role of government in establishing regulatory frameworks for waste reduction and its linkages with Bangladesh’s updated national food system pathway. The discussion highlighted incentives for both the private and public sectors to reduce food loss and wastage. -Editor, based on online information.
Home Editorial Calendar Call for action to curb food waste in Bangladesh
Story: Call for action to curb food waste in Bangladesh
Food waste and wastage are significant problems in Bangladesh, where an estimated 34 percent of food produced is either lost or wasted. This results in 27 percent of the country’s land being used for food that is never eaten, 13 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, and a cost equivalent to 4 percent of the national GDP.
To address this issue, the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), the Royal Danish Embassy in Dhaka, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Bank, and the World Food Programme (WFP) jointly organized a conference titled ‘Towards Zero Food Waste and Loss: Building a Sustainable Food Value Chain in Bangladesh’. The conference brought together key stakeholders to develop effective solutions to reduce food waste in the country. Here are some highlights from the panelists.
*Ms. Farida Akhtar, Honorable Advisor to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, stressed the importance of addressing food waste to ensure food security in Bangladesh. She commented, ‘Despite impressive growth, Bangladesh still suffers from malnutrition, especially among women, and food distribution is still unequal. Therefore, reducing food waste and wastage is a crucial step for Bangladesh to ensure food security. Farmers often struggle to produce food with little support for storage, pricing, or infrastructure. When they do store their produce, they lack adequate price support, which leads to wastage.
*Mr. Mohammad Yasin, Additional Secretary, Administration Branch, Ministry of Food, Government of Bangladesh, commented, ‘Bangladesh is losing soil fertility, money, water, and labor, while simultaneously producing less food for the poor and marginalized. The opportunity cost is immense, and the population is left with limited food choices.
*Mr. Anders Carlsen, Chargé d'Affaires of the Danish Embassy in Bangladesh, emphasized the scale of food loss worldwide, saying, 'One-third of all food produced is either lost or wasted, using a land area larger than China's to produce food that no one will eat.' He further discussed the economic impact, saying, 'It is not just food that is wasted; agricultural land and greenhouse gases are also lost during production and transportation.' Mr. Carlsen also emphasized the need for urgent action, saying, 'The best time to act is today. If not yesterday, then today.'
*Discussing the issue of food loss and wastage, Mr. Dia Sano, Deputy Representative of FAO, explained the global and local impact of food waste, saying, 'The world produces enough food to feed more than 1.5 times the world's population, yet food insecurity and malnutrition persist due to unequal distribution, weak infrastructure and, most importantly, food waste and wastage.' Despite the surplus, food waste prevents adequate food from reaching the neediest people.
*Mr. Jesse Wood, Deputy Country Director in Charge of the WFP Bangladesh Office, highlighted the scale of food waste in Bangladesh, noting that studies have shown that ‘8-15 percent of rice is lost after harvest and 20-40 percent of fruits and vegetables are wasted, worth US$2.4 billion.’ He noted that despite Bangladesh being a strong food production hub, producing significant quantities of vegetables, fish, and essential commodities, the country is forced to import its produce due to limitations in storage and cold chain, which is a missed opportunity for both farmers and the economy.
*CPD Executive Director Dr. Fahmida Khatun, referring to the environmental impact, said, ‘If we increase food loss and wastage, we are depleting scarce environmental resources. Bangladesh is one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, making it imperative to reduce food waste.’
The first panel session, titled ‘Policy and Regulation’, focused on the role of government in establishing regulatory frameworks for waste reduction and its linkages with Bangladesh’s updated national food system pathway. The discussion highlighted incentives for both the private and public sectors to reduce food loss and wastage. -Editor, based on online information.
SHeare