Safe Food Carnival blends trends and traditions to promote food safety
The carnival will be open from 10am to 8pm to all and offer visitors the opportunity to try a variety of food from different parts of the country
Safe Food Carnival-2024, the first of its kind, is set to begin on Thursday in Dhaka featuring traditional delicacies and food items from five-star hotels to promote the concept of safe food among all.
Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) is organising the three-day carnival at the Bangabandhu International Convention Center in Agargaon from February 8 to 10.
BFSA Chairman (Additional Secretary) Md Abdul Kayowm Sarker disclosed this information at a press briefing on Tuesday morning.
The carnival will be open from 10am to 8pm to all and offer visitors the opportunity to try a variety of food from different parts of the country.
The festival will focus on raising public awareness, creating entrepreneurs in the sector, ensuring the safety of GI products, branding Bangladeshi products to the world, teaching personal hygiene, providing training on waste management, and raising awareness about the health risks of adulterated food.
BFSA Chairman said that food carnivals have been held in the country several times before, but this is the first time that the BFSA is organising a carnival focusing on food safety.
The Safe Food Carnival will feature a wide variety of food vendors, including established brands, local confectionery shops, five-star hotels, and restaurants.
Big brands such as Akij Group, Pran Foods, Coca-Cola, Finlays, Bengal Meat, Unilever, Nestle, Domino's, Abul Khair Group, and Square Food and Beverage will be showcasing their products at the carnival.
Confectionery shops such as Banoful, Well Food, Premium Sweets, Bikrampur Mistanna Bhander, Banolata Sweets, Bhagyakul, Bread & Beyond, Sumi's Hot Cake, and Noni will also be participating.
Five-star hotels including Holiday Inn, InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Pan Pacific Sonargaon, Dhaka Regency Hotel, and Hotel Amari will be offering their food at the carnival.
Restaurants such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Hardee's, Burger King, Sultan's Dine, and Kacchi Bhai will also be present.
Traditional foods from different parts of the country, including Cox's Bazar, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Cumilla, Bogura and Chattogram will also be showcased at the carnival.
The inauguration will be followed by a regional debate on food and a cultural programme.
The second day of the carnival will begin with a children's drawing competition followed by a live pizza demonstration, an international cuisine exhibition, a magic show, and a seminar on the role of GI products and organic food in safe food management among others.
The highlight of the festival's final day will be a pitha (rice cake) competition. This will be followed by a cultural programme, a cuisine exhibition, a puppet show, and the closing ceremony.