An article for World Food Day article writing competition arranged by ESA, HSTU. This is not a master piece, Uploading it here for you, just to get an idea about the topic. Thank you.

1. Md. Akram Hossain
FOOD BUSINESS & POVERTY
An article for World Food Day article writing competition by ESA, HSTU.

2. Food Business and Poverty
Dictionary defines poverty as “the state or condition of having no money, goods, or means
of support; deficiency of necessary or desirable ingredients” that means condition of being poor.
Poverty in its various forms has increasingly occupied the attention of the international community
during the last decade. Different countries and communities have taken measures to drastically
reduce the misery from which so many humans suffer throughout their lives. But the progress is still
relatively slow, even though measures to improve the livelihoods of the poor are affordable and not
that difficult. As you know of, Hunger and food insecurity - the most serious forms of extreme
poverty - have now become an international issue. In the year of 1996, during the World food
summit, world leaders have made a solemn commitment to halve hunger in the world by the year of
2015. But here we are, still there are 1.2 billion poor people in developing countries, of which 780
million suffer from chronic hunger, which means that their daily intake of calories is insufficient for
them to live active and healthy lives. This remains an alarming problem in the world's developing
regions, despite the advances made for so long. Widespread and persistent hunger due to poverty is
a fundamental contradiction in all over the world. Reducing rural poverty will therefore require
significantly higher rural incomes.
Agriculture is the principal driving force of the rural economy and, for those developing
countries without substantial mineral resources, often the whole economy. Since most rural incomes
are related to agriculture, raising agricultural productivity can help raise rural incomes all round.
That means the incomes of poor people and the sources from which they derive their livelihoods
should be enhanced by the development of agriculture, increasing crop production, increasing small
business.
As our country, Bangladesh is a developing country and majority of the people depends on
agriculture to make their living, we can encourage the people of rural area or any poor people in
business. A business they can easily conduct, a business they can easily operate from rural area using
resources are already available. A comparison between modern and pre-industrial civilization is
enough to suggest that business has been instrumental in reducing poverty in the past. Through
growing economies, creating jobs and producing the tax receipts necessary for redistributive
government policy, the exchange of one person’s labor for another’s is the most sustainable way

3. that poverty can be reduced. As it has been said already that our country still depends on
agriculture, business related agriculture and the product of agriculture (food) will come in handy for
rural people. In later of this article you will be taken through the process of establishing a small food
business at our home and how it can reduce poverty.
Starting any business is no easy task, and becoming a food entrepreneur is a special
challenge. We will have to prepare for the hard work and dedication it takes to succeed in the food
business. As we are thinking about opening a food business, there are many regulatory requirements
that we will have to meet. Some of those requirements apply to all food business and some are
specific to the particular food product we are producing including federal and local requirements.
Before starting our new food business, we need a clear vision of how we want our business
to operate; How it will be managed, marketed, and financed; And how we expect it to perform in the
future. To achieve this goal, we need to write a business plan. We need a plan about marketing out
product, processing plant and equipment, registering our business, food labelling and food pricing
etc.
People of rural area can do such business even at home. Setting up a food business in our
home has advantages and disadvantages. We can make our own schedule and cut commuting
expenses. On the other hand, there may be added costs involved in getting our kitchen setup for
producing the product and working at home will definitely impact our family.
After getting our business registered, selecting products we will be producing, collecting
necessary equipment and ingredients we can start the production of course following regulatory
instructions, safety instructions from Food Safety Authority in Bangladesh.
Some guidelines should be followed strictly to run a food business and producing food products at
home:
1. During commercial processing, no part of the home kitchen may be used for personal food
preparation.
2. Ingredients used for your food business must be kept separate from ingredients for personal use
and must be properly stored and protected. Proper storage includes using food-grade containers
that keep pests out and maintaining temperatures that do not promote spoilage.
3. No animals are permitted in the home at any time.
4. Children are not permitted in the kitchen area during commercial processing.

4. Along with the guidelines listed above, specific categories of home-processed foods must meet
additional requirements as in following.
For shelf-stable bakery items such as breads, cookies, and biscuits can be produced in a
home kitchen. However, high-moisture/low-acid items such as sauces, creams and custards,
toppings may be potentially hazardous should be made in a completely separate kitchen.
Some beverages can be produced at a limited food establishment at home kitchen. This may
include lemonade, lemon iced tea, and other acidic drinks. The pH of all beverages must be
tested to ensure it is 4.
Home processing of jams and jellies is permitted in kitchens as long as we document and
adhere to all written procedures and formulas. Although pH testing is not required, these
products must be tested at a commercial laboratory to make sure they meet quality
standards for soluble solids content.
For producing other products, related safety measures should be followed.
With proper pricing and marketing, the products can bring revenue to the owners, and business can
grow larger and larger. The business can move from household level to industrial level within a few
years of proper maintenance. This will create necessity of industrial workers in rural level and people
can be employed. Once a business grow up, there are a few more businesses grow with it, like the
new food industry which improved itself to industrial level form household level will need more
manpower, supplies, ingredients, transportation facilities etc. will create opportunity for other new
small businesses. That is how more people can be employed, earn their livings, improve the rural
and ultimately reduce the grasp of poverty.