13 edible oil refineries fail to meet BSTI standard for fortification

Thirteen edible oil refineries out of 26, which signed memorandum of understanding with the industries ministry to fortify their brands with vitamin A, have failed to maintain the required standard of Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution and obtain licences.
Despite having shortfall in required standard, 13 companies are still marketing edible oil violating rules and regulations of the Edible Oil Fortification with Vitamin A Act-2013.
As per the rules and regulations, a refinery must sign MoU with the ministry first for the vitamin A fortification in edible oil and then BSTI is supposed to test the product of the company and give a certificate whether the product is properly fortified with vitamin A.
Ministry officials said that a total of 10 refineries (soya bean and palm oil producers) and three rice bran oil refineries met the required standard and obtained BSTI licences.
The ministry allowed them to use the logo of fortification as BSTI certified that the refineries fortified their brands with required level of Vitamin A, they said.
The BSTI officials, however, said that a total of 11 refineries including rice bran oil mills obtained licences from the institute and 10 more refineries are in the process to meet the standard for getting fortification licenses.
According to the planning wing under the industries ministry, the fortified edible oil brands under the 13 refineries are: Rupchanda of Bangladesh Edible Oil Ltd, Pusti of TK Group, Veola, Teer of City Group, Fresh of Meghna Group, Nutrilife Rice Bran Oil of ACI Foods Ltd, Health Care of KBC Agro Products Ltd and Spandan of Emerald Oil Ltd.
Alongside the fortified brands, some of the companies were marketing their brands with fortified logo without passing the BSTI test.
Dada, a soya bean oil brand of Mohammad Elias Brothers Ltd, has been found in the market with fortified logo but industries ministry officials said that the brand was yet to get approval from the ministry to use the logo.
White Gold (rice bran oil), a brand of Rashid Oil Mills Ltd, is also using fortified logo but the company is yet to get approval.
Some of the brands have been marketing edible oil without fortification of Vitamin A and BSTI is responsible to monitor the market, a ministry official said requesting not to be named.
He said that recently the mobile court run by BSTI fined SA group of Industries in Chittagong as the company was marketing its edible oil brand ‘Muskan’ without fortification.
Selim Reza, deputy director of BSTI, told New Age that they were monitoring the market and taking action against the companies which were not complying with the BSTI standard.
He said that difficulties have been arising to ensure fortification in bulk oil as the name of refinery was not mentioned on the drum.
‘We want to find a system to identify the refiners of bulk oil in the market to ensure fortification of edible oil,’ Selim said.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net