Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) will formally launch its restaurant gradation programme in the city on January 20 aiming to help customers identify eateries' hygiene level, a high official said.
"We are set to launch the programme through marking 50 restaurants with four different sticker colours based on their hygiene level," BFSA Chairman Mohammad Mahfuzul Hoque said on Sunday.
Under the programme, the BFSA will attach stickers in green, blue, yellow and orange (A+, A, B and C) colours in front of the restaurants to describe how hygienic they are.
The restaurants which will ensure all food safety standards will get green stickers while others will be marked with three other colours based on their hygiene level.
The stickers will be regarded as certification of the BFSA.
"The stickers will guide you whether you would enjoy food provided by the restaurants," said Mahbub Kabir, a member of the BFSA.
Initially, the programme is going to be implemented in the city's Motijheel, Dilkhusha and Paltan areas, he said, adding that more restaurants will gradually come under the purview of the BFSA through gradation with stickers.
A restaurant must follow all food safety standards, including its cleanness, staffers' dress code and kitchen's visibility to guests, to avail a green zone sticker.
"I think the move is not a pressure for eatery operators since they are bound to comply with food safety standards as their own responsibility, considering its impacts on public health," he said.
Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder is expected to inaugurate the programme at a city hotel in Paltan area.
Earlier, the BFSA implemented a pilot project in this regard.
When contacted, Ghulam Rahman, president of Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), hailed the move.
"The programme will help ensure the country's food safety which is still a far cry from desired level standards," he said.
Constant monitoring on the restaurants is also required, he added.
"Attaching sticker indicating green zone is not enough. Continuous surveillance by the agencies concerned is a must," said Mr Rahman, also former chairman of Anti- Corruption Commission (ACC).
The restaurant gradation system will encourage business owners to be aware of food safety issues, he added.
"Many food shop staffers violate rules mainly due to their unawareness about hygiene standards."
The former bureaucrat also underscored the need for arranging training programmes and creating awareness among the restaurant staff on a regular basis.
