A day-long youth orientation titled “Empowering Future Youth: Healthy Eating, Understanding Packaged Food Labeling, and Supporting FOPL Policy” was organized by Dhaka Ahsania Mission with the aim of engaging young people in Bangladesh to promote healthy dietary practices and raise awareness about nutritional information on packaged foods.
The orientation was held on Monday (27 April 2026) at the Dhaka Ahsania Mission head office in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. The event was organized by the Health Sector of Dhaka Ahsania Mission with technical support from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, and brought together youth participants.
Professor Dr. Mohammad Shoaib, Member (Food Industry and Production) of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority, attended as Chief Guest. Barrister Md. Mahfuzur Rahman Milon, Acting Secretary, Bangladesh Bar Council spoke as Special Guest, while Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, Country Lead for Reducing Demand for Unhealthy Food at the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, attended as Guest of Honor. The session was chaired by Dr. S M Khalilur Rahman, Vice President of Dhaka Ahsania Mission.
In the welcome remarks, organizers highlighted the critical role of youth engagement, noting that rising non-communicable diseases (NCDs), increasing consumption of packaged foods, and unhealthy dietary patterns make youth awareness and participation more important than ever.
The sessions discussed the importance of Front-of-Pack Labeling (FOPL) in the Bangladesh context, global best practices, and the need for clear and easy-to-understand nutrition labeling on packaged food products. During the discussion, participating youth strongly emphasized the urgency of introducing FOPL to ensure safe and nutritious food in the future and called for making such labeling mandatory.
Participants also worked in groups to identify their potential contributions to advancing FOPL initiatives and developed a six-month action plan based on their capacities.
The sessions were facilitated by Iqbal Masud, Director of the Health Sector of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, and Project Coordinator Mahbuba Rahman. The opening session included welcome remarks from Marzana Muntaha, Coordinator of the Ahsania Mission Youth Forum for Health and Wellbeing, among others.
The orientation also marked an initiative to build an active youth platform, expected to play a significant role in promoting healthy eating habits and advocating for policy change in Bangladesh.