Fast food becoming increasingly popular | TRADE & MARKET | The F...

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Publish : 17 Mar, 2014 00:00:00

Fast food becoming increasingly popular

Consumers for strict monitoring of quality
Badrul Ahsan

Fast food items are increasingly becoming popular in the country with the effect of globalisation along with
growth of disposable income, industry insiders said.
Many people, specifically the younger generation are consuming various fast food items everyday as these are
convenient, time saving and tasty, they said, adding, there should be strict monitoring of quality.
In the last couple of years, following increasing demand for such food items, more than fifty international brands
including Pizza Hut, KFC and CP introduced their services, they said.
According to industry insiders, around two thousand fast food outlets across the country are now handling over
Tk 8.0 million worth of business every day.
"Globalisation and disposable income growth has led to increased amount of fast food consumption in
Bangladesh like any other Asian country," Transcom Foods Limited Executive Director Akku Choudhury told the
FE.
"Taking fast food has now become the trend of the affluent city dwellers and the younger generation," he added.
"Today fast food industry is a highly growing sector. Originating in the US in 1916, fast food restaurants are now
dominating the world," he added.
'Helvetia' branch manager Abdus Sobhan, said city dwellers and students with no time on their hands are
increasingly rushing to these outlets. Helvetia is a Swiss brand.
"Customers come to our restaurants in groups. More than fifty per cent of them are students. The rest are
officials, other professionals and city dwellers," he added.
After visiting different restaurants in the city, assessing the menu, variety, price, atmosphere and convenience,
food quality was found to be the most important attribute that influences consumers to select a fast food outlet.
"Many students of our university consume fast food items every day as these are ready to eat, convenient and
served quickly," BRAC University student Tabassum Mustafa told the FE.
She said quality of food items in ordinary restaurants is not reliable. Lack of environment, poor service quality
and indecent behaviour of restaurant operators are also pushing customers to go for fast foods.
But fast food customer Abdul Ahad expressed dissatisfaction over the high price of food items at the leading fast
food chains.
He said the fast food restaurant owners are charging higher prices capitalising on the helplessness of the
customers.
"Fast food restaurant owners are charging abnormal rates for their products following increasing demand of such
food items," he added.
"Prices of a sandwich should never be more than Tk60 to Tk 80 but we have to buy those at Tk120, which is
really unjustifiable. Similarly, prices of other items are also abnormally higher than what the price should be," he
added.

3/5/2015 6:14 PM

Fast food becoming increasingly popular | TRADE & MARKET | The F...

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http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2014/03/17/23885/print

Following the huge demand, restaurant owners are now competing to introduce new products and to bring
special tastes in those such as hamburgers, pizzas, chicken, sandwiches and others.
Many customers have raised their voice over adulteration of food items with colours and other hazardous
chemicals, about microbial safety and hygiene of the restaurants.
Besides, recent raids on many fast food restaurants across the country by mobile courts also made the
customers suspicious regarding the quality and environment of the fast food restaurants.
Many consumers have urged the government to strictly monitor the food quality of such restaurants.

Editor : Moazzem Hossain,

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3/5/2015 6:14 PM