Healthy diet is health-promoting and disease–preventing. It essentially protects our bodies against malnutrition in all its forms as well as against non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Few of its essential ingredients are fresh fruits and vegetables among others. Healthy diets are crucial in preventing malnutrition in all its forms and tackling NCDs. 8 million deaths worldwide of which 20% of premature deaths are caused every year due to NCDs caused by malnutrition or poor-quality diet. NCDs accounts for 67% deaths in Bangladesh, hence Bangladesh has targeted to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by 30% by 2030 following the targets of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To prevent NCDs, few factors, such as, balanced diet, physical activity, limited use of tobacco and alcohol makes the difference but none of the other factors shall work if the balanced diet, aka, healthy diet is not maintained. According to the research of World Health Organization (WHO), NCDs accounts for alarmingly almost 70% of the deaths worldwide. Which means we have fallen far from maintaining healthy diet on a regular basis and have become dependent on the ultra-processed foods or sweetened beverages for easy lifestyle.
Bangladesh being the leading vegetables and fruit-producing countries in the world as well as the world’s third-largest producer of vegetables and the fourth-largest producer of fish, still the NCD Risk Factor Survey conducted in Bangladesh in 2018 states that, 89.6% of the population does not consume the five (5) fruits and vegetables a day recommended by the WHO, whilst only 0.4% consumes fruits and 2.3% essential vegetables daily.
The Government of Bangladesh has been long planning on taking measures to encourage people to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, thus formulated a plan from 2018 to 2025 which entails provisions for encouraging people to eat fresh fruits and vegetables and less foods those contain trans-fat, as well as raising awareness among the population about the risks consuming excess sugar, salt and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) consumption.
However, to implement the plan, an effective regulatory and fiscal measures is needed to create a conducive environment that promotes healthy diets as a means to control NCDs.
The right to food is recognized in article 25 the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights as part of the right to an adequate standard of living, and is enshrined in article 11 of the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Under article where, it recognizes that steps may be needed to ensure “the fundamental right to freedom from hunger and malnutrition”. Nutrition is also an underlying social-economic determinants of the right to the highest attainable standard of health.
These Treaties are binding on the ratifying States and the international organizations have developed guidelines and strategies for healthy diets promotion, accompanied by documents providing policy guidance to national governments and supporting their commitment. In this redard, WHO provided policymakers with a list of ‘best buys’ and other recommended interventions to address NCDs.
The supreme law of Bangladesh, i.e. the Constitution gives the Bangladeshi Government the authority and obligation to take the necessary steps to control poorly nutritious food and beverages, and enact laws and policies that promote healthy diets with the aim of promoting health. In this regard, few enactments are already in effect that ensure safe foods, i.e. Food Safety Act, 2013 and impose punishment for mixing prohibited materials in food stuff, i.e. the Consumer Rights Protection Act, 2009 etc. However, there is no direct involvement or explicit mention of fruits or vegetables in any law. Three (3) of the laws address food production, three (3) address food storage, two (2) address food transportation, nine (9) address food marketing, one (1) addresses food distribution, and four (4) address consumer rights.
However, Bangladesh is yet to take proper measures in controlling the ultra-processed foods or SSB products where the continuous advertisement and easy accessibility has made it lucrative to the consumers, especially children. Continuous availability of ultra-processed food and SSB products at affordable prices encourages consumption among lower socioeconomic groups and youth leading to adverse health impact on future generations, especially poorer people. Studies have shown that increasing the tax on SSB by 20% reduces its consumption, while increasing the price of fresh fruits and vegetables decreases their consumption by 10-30%.
The government of Bangladesh has not quite established an organized sector for production, distribution and marketing for fresh fruits and vegetables whereas the sector of production, distribution and marketing of poorly nutritious foods such as SSB and foods high in salt, sugar and trans-fat is a very well organized.
Hence, it is high time for the government of Bangladesh to follow the available global standards and guidelines to regulate marketing and advertising, as well as labeling and packaging systems for both poorly nutritious food and healthy fresh food in promoting healthy diets and tackle the rise of diet-related NCDs.
In order to increase consumption, availability, affordability and acceptability of fresh fruits and vegetables in various settings, few steps may be taken by the government of Bangladesh, i.e.,- Develop policy to regulate the advertising of unhealthy foods; Decrease taxes and encourage fiscal incentives and subsidies on fresh food; Regulate purchasing, serving, storage, production, transportation and distribution; Provide incentives and rules to create a healthy retail and food service environments; Create food-based dietary guidelines; Create public awareness campaigns specific to fruit and vegetables; Incorporate healthy food in school meals; Incorporate nutrition education in school curriculum; engage youth in raising societal awareness about the importance of eating nutritious foods and the dangers related to poorly nutritious foods consumption, as well as to encourage them to lead a healthy lifestyle; etc.,
It is estimated, that up to 2.7 million lives could be saved annually with sufficient fruit and vegetable consumption. Regrettably, even if Bangladesh is the third-largest producer of vegetables and fourth-. largest fish producer, making it one of the world's major vegetable and fish producers, the study-reports show a low daily intake of fruits and vegetables in rural and urban Bangladesh.
It is high time for the Government of Bangladesh to follow the worldwide trend to take initiative in ensuring consumption of healthy and fresh food with the toolkits made available by the international organizations and charge forward making Bangladesh a “Healthy Nation”.
Ms. Nishat Mahmood
(Barrister-at-Law), Consultant of Center for Law and Policy Affairs - nishatmahmood86@gmail.com
