National Food and Nutrition Security Policy of Bangladesh, 2020

The National Food and Nutrition Security Policy (NFNSP) lays down the Vision for all people of Bangladesh to attain food and nutrition security needed for a healthy and active life. The Goal is to improve the food and nutrition security status to a level needed to achieve the relevant SDG targets and fulfil related national and international commitments by 2030. The following Objectives have been identified for NFNSP: 1. To ensure availability of safe and nutritious food for healthy diets; 2. To improve access to safe and nutritious food at an affordable price; 3. To enhance the consumption and utilisation of healthy and diversified diets for achieving nutrition improvements; 4. To increase access to nutrition-sensitive social protection and safety nets across lifecycle with a focus on vulnerable groups and regions; 5. To strengthen cross-sectoral food and nutrition governance, coordination, capacity building and partnership for effective policy implementation.
The NFNSP takes a holistic food system approach that embraces all elements and activities that relate to the production, processing, distribution and marketing, preparation, consumption and utilisation of food, and also considers the socio-economic and environmental outcomes. The policy describes Strategy-wise Initiatives to achieve the Objectives outlines. Strategies under Objective 1 include increasing productivity and sustainable production; and scaling up nutrition-sensitive diversification of food production. Under Objective 2, improving market access; stabilizing food markets; improving value chain and marketing systems; enhancing nutrient content along the value chain; and raising incomes of the poor and food insecure are the suggested strategies.
Strategies under Objective 3 are developing a long-term national plan for ensuring safe, nutritious and sustainable diets; enhancing nutrition knowledge, promoting good dietary practices and encouraging consumption of safe and nutritious diets; and optimising food utilization through disease control, provision of safe water, improved food hygiene and sanitation. Under Objective 4, strategies include improving management of the public food stock and distribution system; improving disaster preparedness, responses, rehabilitation and mitigation; and strengthening social protection for poor and vulnerable groups, including disabled and displaced. The Strategies under Objective 5 are improving food safety, quality control, and awareness of food safety and hygiene; reducing food losses and waste; improving data, information and analysis for evidence-based planning, monitoring and evaluation; strengthening regulatory management, climate resilience and gender roles; and strengthening governance, policy coherence, capacity strengthening and leadership across stakeholders.