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DC Zahid to launch hygiene training initiative for Chattogram eateries
Published : Thursday, 17 September, 2026 at 7:03 PM
Staff Correspondent
The Chattogram district administration will train chefs and other restaurant workers on food safety and hygiene as it shifts its focus from fines and punitive measures to preventing recurring violations.
Restaurants will also carry out special cleaning drives every Saturday under the initiative, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Mian told journalists today.
The move comes after the administration found that even hefty fines had failed to bring lasting improvements at some eateries, with similar violations resurfacing within months.
"Some restaurants have been fined as much as Tk 20 lakh, but after a few months, the same problems return," Zahidul said.
"We are not getting the desired results simply by imposing fines and creating pressure. We want change to come from a sense of responsibility among restaurant owners and workers."
The DC said the administration had recently received complaints about conditions in which food is prepared and served, while mobile court drives had also detected various irregularities.
Against this backdrop, the district administration last week met restaurant owners, representatives of regulatory agencies and the media to discuss ways to improve food safety and hygiene.
At the meeting, restaurant owners agreed to set aside one day a week for intensive cleaning and chose Saturday for the drive.
A rally involving restaurant owners and workers will be held this Saturday, while officials will inspect eateries to see whether they are implementing the agreed cleaning measures, Zahidul said.
Restaurant owners also requested training for chefs and other employees involved in preparing and handling food. The administration has since asked them to submit lists of workers for the programme.
"We will provide hygiene training to their staff and teach them how to keep themselves healthy as well," the DC said.
He said proper hygiene practices were essential not only for consumers but also for restaurant workers, who could themselves face health risks from unsafe food and unhygienic working conditions.
The initiative follows an earlier directive giving hotels and restaurants 10 days to meet prescribed food safety and hygiene standards.
The administration has also warned that restaurants failing to maintain the standards required for their licence category could have their grades downgraded.
Referring to his weekly public hearings, Zahidul said, ''many people approach the district administration seeking financial assistance for medical treatment, including patients with kidney diseases. He cited their plight while highlighting the broader public health implications of adulterated and unsafe food.''
"Our country's greatest resource is its people. If such a large population remains unhealthy, our economy does not have the capacity to bear that burden," he said.
Ensuring safe food, Zahidul added, would require coordinated efforts from the administration, restaurant owners, workers and other stakeholders rather than relying on enforcement alone.
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Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Online: email: [email protected] 41053014; 01550707297 Advertisement: 01550707296
