The SUN Business Network (SBN) aims to increase the availability and affordability of safe, nutritious foods to consumers, especially low-income consumers through activities at global and national levels. At a national level, the SBN convenes businesses, assesses technical, financial and other business support service needs for members, and advocates the role of business in addressing nutrition at country level. Read More
The SUN Business Network (SBN) aims to increase the availability and affordability of safe, nutritious foods to consumers, especially low-income consumers through activities at global and national levels. At a national level, the SBN convenes businesses, assesses technical, financial and other business support service needs for members, and advocates the role of business in addressing nutrition at country level. At a global level, the SBN acts as a focal point for engaging multinational businesses in nutrition activities such as making workplace nutrition commitments.Read More
The SUN Business Network (SBN) aims to increase the availability and affordability of safe, nutritious foods to consumers, especially low-income consumers through activities at global and national levels. At a national level, the SBN convenes businesses, assesses technical, financial and other business support service needs for members, and advocates the role of business in addressing nutrition at country level.Read More
Emerging networks are in SUN Countries where the government has made a commitment to ending malnutrition through a multi-stakeholder approach and private sector companies have begun to mobilise their support for a multistakeholder, multisectoral approach to improving nutrition. Read More
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Bangladesh joined the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement in September 2012 following the commitment to improve nutrition by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Soon after Tthe national chapter began working to develop strong support and engagement. As a result, the SUN Business Network (SBN) Bangladesh was officially launched in 2019 and currently comprises almost 140 members – over half of which are women and a more than a third are Small Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Improving nutrition is critical in Bangladesh.While the Global Nutrition Report states that the country is on-course to meet its targets for reducing child stunting, the rate remains high at 31% - a third higher than the average for the Asia region. Meanwhile, national rates of anaemia in women of reproductive age are at almost 40%, and 27.8% of infants have a low weight at birth. Whilesome progress towards reachingtargets for these has been made, more work needs to be done. Bangladesh, however, shows no progress for some of its other nutrition targets – such as for diabetes, which affects 20% of the adult population. And, although no progress has been made in reducing the rate of obesity and overweight in over-18s (7%), this prevalence is still one of the lowest in the world.
SBN Bangladesh is overseen by the Ministry of Industries (MOLND), with a 29 member inter-ministerial/multi-stakeholder committee. This group advises on and finalises SBN Bangladesh’s strategy and work plan, and collaborates with the SUN Multi-Stakeholder Platforms (MSP) to achieve this.
There is also an operations committee, which is co-convened by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the World Food Programme (WFP), and supports the MOLND in its SBN activities.
In collaboration with the National Association of Small and Cottage Industries Bangladesh (NASCIB), SBN Bangladesh is also in the process of forming five sub-national members-only committees which will cover four districts.
The current strategy for SBN Bangladesh covers the period from 2021-2023, and was drafted jointly by all relevant stakeholders from different government ministries, civil society, United Nations (UN) Agencies, and private sector actors. It primarily focuses on four thematic areas – Food Safety and Hygiene, Food Fortification and Reformulation, Workforce Nutrition, and Market Development for Nutritious and Safe Food.
During this strategic SBN Bangladesh will focus on three core objectives:
To improve consumer and business awareness on nutritious products
To create and enhanced an enabling environment
Build Nutrition Sensitive Business Ecosystems
