This situation analysis report presents an overview of the current practices in food and day-care-service provision in 15 ready-made garment (RMG) factories in Bangladesh. It is part of the operational research for the project, "Improving Nutrition of Female Garment Industry Workers and Their Children in Bangladesh.
We used mixed-methods for data collection, including focus group discussions with workers; in-depth interviews with factory managers, day-care personnel, and food suppliers; and facility observation.
Our findings indicated that female workers in the sampled factories had a below average understanding of what constitutes a balanced diet, and there was a lack of diversity in the food they consumed. On the other hand, managers at factories that are currently providing food to workers pointed out the business benefits of such practices, including higher morale and lower worker turnover. To capitalize on this opportunity, the project aims to address malnutrition faced by female factory workers and their children under five through collaboration with international buyers, factory owners, and civil society on nutrition related behaviour change, distribution of energy and iron rich food, and promotion of early childhood development in factories' day-care centres.