BV Bangladesh wins the contract with the World Food Programme for the Inspection & Analysis of food and non-food items
WFP has been present in Bangladesh since 1974 and transitioned to a Country Strategic Plan (CSP) in April 2017. The CSP reinforces WFP’s commitment to strengthening the capacities of government counterparts, providing food assistance in emergencies, and creating evidence on innovative approaches to resilience.
Furthermore, in response to the unprecedented influx of the Rohingya population in August 2017, the CSP was amended to facilitate WFP’s tailored response to the refugee crisis in Cox’s Bazar. Presently, WFP is providing food and nutrition assistance to over 855,000 refugees besides implementing a range of livelihood programmes for both the host and refugee communities.
In April, WFP provided food assistance to 858,401 refugees: 684,561 through e-vouchers, and 173,840 through in-kind food distributions. WFP successfully established standard physical distancing measures and reduced person-to-person contact at e-voucher outlets. In order to limit visits and crowds at e-voucher outlets, the value vouchers have been replaced with fixed commodity baskets of 11 items equivalent to 2100 kcal per person per day, at a value of US$11 per person.
WFP delivered hot meals to government quarantine facilities in Cox’s Bazar for 3,000 people three times a day; and dry food rations to 1,500 patients in isolation facilities. WFP and FAO presented the impact of the national lockdown and COVID-19 crisis on food security in Bangladesh, to the Local Consultative Group. The Food Security Cluster, co-chaired by WFP and FAO, also launched an Emergency Response Tracker to identify country-level coverage gaps and harmonize COVID-19 assistance. The cluster also produced guidelines on cash and food assistance packages best suited to different (urban and rural) contexts.
WFP has joined hands with Bureau Veritas for Inspection & Analysis of food and non-food items.
The contract is for 3 years and the scope of work involves –
- Factory audit
- Inspection during production
- Sampling during production and testing the samples at BV lab (Chennai lab is approved for this)
- Loading inspection
- Inspection as WFP delivery point/warehouse , sampling including lab testing
This has been the most prestigious win for BV Bangladesh and we plan to give our best services to this noble programme.