New White Paper: The Profound Connection Between Food and Health and The Urgent Need For Safe Food Revolution in Bangladesh

Future Startup and Khaas Food Limited are proud to announce the launch of "You Are What You Eat: Bangladesh Food and Health Report 2025," a comprehensive white paper that examines the critical relationship between food systems, dietary habits, and health outcomes in Bangladesh. Download the full report for free here.

The report, produced jointly by Khaas Food and Future Startup, offers an in-depth understanding of how food fundamentally shapes health and why this connection demands greater public and policy focus. It addresses key challenges including rising food safety concerns, increasing demand for safe and natural food, and the emergence of a dedicated safe food industry. By analyzing current obstacles and highlighting opportunities, the paper provides a strategic roadmap for stakeholders working toward a healthier food environment for all Bangladeshis.

Report Structure

The report is structured in two complementary parts:

Part One: The Foundational Role of Food in Health delves into food's critical impact on health and examines how escalating food safety issues pose a collective public health threat requiring urgent action.

Part Two: The State of Safe Food in Bangladesh—Market Dynamics, Key Trends, and Future Pathways explores the specific food safety challenges facing Bangladesh, investigates the growth of the safe food sector pioneered by emerging brands catering to health-conscious consumers, and proposes actionable recommendations to strengthen food safety standards nationwide.

This report underscores a fundamental truth: what we eat directly shapes our health. As Bangladesh grapples with mounting food safety challenges, understanding the rise of the safe food industry and implementing necessary policy shifts becomes essential to ensuring safer food for all.

The Profound Connection

The understanding that food plays a critical role in human health is deeply rooted in ancient civilizations and religious traditions, and is increasingly validated by modern science. 

In Bangladesh, where food is central to cultural identity, as captured by the saying "Machh-e-Bhat-e-Bangali" (Fish and rice make a Bengali), this connection is exceptionally vital.

However, Bangladesh faces a dual challenge: a rising burden of diet-related Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), driven by changing dietary patterns, and pervasive food safety issues, including widespread food adulteration and unhygienic practices. 

These challenges not only compromise public health but also significantly hinder economic growth and export potential.

There has been a growing consumer awareness around the critical importance of safe and healthy food. Accordingly, the market has responded to the food safety challenges with the rise of an emerging class of safe food brands, selling all kinds of food products that come with greater safety and quality assurances. The trend is slowly shaping the food market in Bangladesh. 

But food safety challenges in Bangladesh, given the critical importance of safe and healthy food for public health, demand a comprehensive private and public sector response. 

Key Findings

The white paper, "You Are What You Eat: Bangladesh Food and Health Report 2025", brings to light several critical insights:

A Public Health Crisis:

• Foodborne illnesses alone cost Bangladesh an estimated 2% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), totaling $3.5 billion annually, affecting between 26 and 30 million individuals each year.
• Alarmingly, over 70% of common food items such as fish, milk, and vegetables are perceived to be adulterated. A 2019 study by the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) revealed that 52% of food samples collected nationwide were contaminated.
• Harmful substances used for adulteration include formalin in fish, calcium carbide for fruit ripening, industrial pigments, textile dyes, brick dust, urea, and even burnt engine oil.
• Pesticide use in Bangladesh is approximately 3.4 kg per hectare, nearly double the global average of 2.0 kg/ha, with 32% of vegetable samples from urban markets exceeding maximum pesticide residue limits.
• The urban Bangladeshi diet now derives approximately 28% of daily calories from ultra-processed foods, a significant increase from 12% two decades ago, correlating with alarming increases in obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

A Dynamic Market and Growing Demand for Safe Food:

• Bangladesh’s domestic food market was valued at $9 billion in 2022, with the food processing sector alone contributing $8 billion and growing at 8% annually.
• Rapid urbanization, increasing disposable incomes, and a large youth population are fueling a burgeoning demand for convenient, high-value, and, crucially, safe food products.
• Consumers are increasingly aware of food safety concerns and demonstrate a strong willingness to pay a significant premium (21% to 52%) for safer products, especially among higher-income and educated demographics.
• The Bangladesh organic food market is projected to reach $225 million by 2031, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9% for that period.

Systemic Gaps and Vulnerabilities:

• The food safety regulatory landscape is highly fragmented, involving over 15 overlapping agencies, leading to bureaucratic complexities, inconsistent oversight, and insufficient enforcement, despite the robust Food Safety Act of 2013. The BFSA lacks the full enforcement power needed to address these issues effectively.
• Significant supply chain vulnerabilities exist, notably in cold chain infrastructure, leading to 20-45% post-harvest losses of fresh produce, translating to an estimated annual economic loss of $2.4 billion.
• Farmers face challenges, with 75% lacking safety training regarding agrochemical use, contributing to pesticide misuse.

Recommendations

The report outlines a comprehensive, multi-pronged approach to address these critical areas, aiming to mitigate public health risks, improve nutritional outcomes, and unlock significant economic potential:

Regulatory Overhaul and Enhanced Enforcement:

• Unify fragmented laws under an empowered and depoliticized BFSA with independent oversight.
• Expand penalties for adulteration to act as a genuine deterrent, coupled with a zero-tolerance stance for repeat offenders.
• Expand and upgrade food testing facilities at local levels to enable prompt detection and mitigation of food hazards.

Investing in Infrastructure and Technology:

• Prioritize the expansion of cold chain infrastructure through government subsidies, PP initiatives, and low-interest loans, including mobile cold trucks and rural cold hubs.
• Develop robust traceability systems using technologies like Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and blockchain for real-time monitoring and data exchange.
• Commercialize smart sensor technologies leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) for rapid, robust, and eco-friendly on-site testing.

Promoting Public-Private Partnerships and Farmer Capacity Building:

• Build strong public-private collaborations to enhance community awareness and drive sustainable improvements in food safety practices.
• Empower farmers through comprehensive training on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), proper post-harvest handling techniques, and judicious use of agrochemicals.
• Support the growth of emerging safe food brands   and agritech startups that prioritize safety and quality.

Consumer Empowerment:

• Launch nationwide public awareness campaigns using diverse media to educate consumers about risks and safe practices.
• Mandate clear safety labels (e.g., "Pesticide Residue/Antibiotic-Free") in supermarkets.
• Create streamlined processes for consumers to lodge complaints against food safety breaches. 
• Integrate comprehensive nutrition education into school curricula and community health programs.

A Healthier, More Prosperous Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s food system stands at a crossroads. Action unlocks a significant $12 billion market potential in safe/organic foods, creates 500,000 new jobs, and contributes significantly to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2 (Zero Hunger) and 3 (Good Health and Well-being) progress. 

Conversely, inaction risks a projected 30% rise in NCDs by 2030 and over $5 billion in annual trade losses.

By implementing these strategic recommendations, Bangladesh can transform its food sector, ensuring safe, nutritious, and affordable food for all its citizens, mitigating public health risks, and unlocking substantial economic potential.

About Future Startup 

Future Startup (https://futurestartup.com/) is an online knowledge platform covering entrepreneurship, business, expertise, and technology in Bangladesh. It democratizes access to entrepreneurial knowledge and opportunities through interviews, analyses, essays, newsletters, lecture series, and research.

About Khaas Food 

Khaas Food is Dhaka-based innovative agri-tech startup working toward a Bangladesh where safe agro food is the standard, not the exception. The company aims to build a world where every individual has access to responsibly sourced, safe and nutritious products at its originality that support their health and the health of the environment.