More than 16 per cent of our total food is being damaged during harvesting in the crop fields while the loss is around 30 per cent in case of cooked food globally, according to Food Secretary Md Ismail Hossain.
The Food Secretary said this while addressing the launching ceremony of the Bangladesh Food Systems Dashboard: A Food Systems Data Hub towards a Sustainable Food Future at a programme held at a hotel in Dhaka on Sunday.
He said the loss of food should be reduced as a huge number of people are living with hunger across the globe. The Dashboard will help the authorities concern to prevent such misuse of food keeping the actual data for further actions.
Ismail Hossain, also chair of the programme, said, "The objective of the Dashboard is to digitize and visualize all food systems data so that policymakers can take decisions using those data to ensure food and nutrition security, availability and accessibility of safe and nutritious food for all Bangladeshis."
According to the organizers, to ensure a robust and data-driven management of food systems, the Food Planning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU) under the Food Ministry initiated the Bangladesh Food Systems Dashboard, a precise repository enriched with accurate information of all food-related indicators was launched at a local hotel.
Food Planning and Monitoring Unit (FPMU), Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) worked together for the development of the Bangladesh Food Systems Dashboard.
GAIN supported the process in partnership with the Columbia Climate School and FAO and in collaboration with different ministries including Prime Ministers Office, Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Agriculture, and other relevant ministries, departments, agencies, IFAD, WFP and other development partners, academia and private sector.
The launching ceremony gathered a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives from the government, development partners, academia, the commercial sector, and civil society organizations. The event showcased how this tool, which is expected to completely change how Bangladeshi food system data is accessed and used by stakeholders.
Dr Rudaba Khondker, Country Director of GAIN Bangladesh, highlighted that data is critical in making decisions for policy and different elements of food systems. The food systems dashboard is one of the efficient tools to demonstrate the progress of Bangladesh towards sustainable, equitable and resilient food systems transformation.
Among others, former food secretary Md Mohsin, former secretaries Zakir Hossain Akanda, Khandaker Mostain Hossain, former FPMU Director General Shahiduzzaman Faruqui, FPMU Director General Shahidul Alam, Additional DG of Directorate General of Food Abdullah Al Mamun also spoke.
The Bangladesh Food Systems Dashboard, accessible at https://www.foodsystemsdashboard.org/countries/bgd/subnational-data, provides a plethora of data on important food systems indicators at the national and subnational levels.
The dashboard has the potential to generate positive change in the food systems landscape and advance Bangladeshs National Pathway for food systems transformation as well as the Sustainable Development Goals by enabling data-driven decision making, the organizers claimed.
The Bangladesh Food Systems Dashboard operates under the guidance of Ministry of Food, and BBS. Similar dashboards have been implemented in six other countries, including Kenya, Nigeria, Mozambique, Pakistan and Indonesia.
