52 BANNED FOOD PRODUCTS BSTI starts withdrawing suspension order [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

52 BANNED FOOD PRODUCTS BSTI starts withdrawing suspension order

Local May 28, 2019

Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution has withdrawn the suspension order issued against the production of ACI salt and is at the final stage of clearing Pran lachchha semai too.
The national standards regulatory authority said that the decision to allow the products back in the market was taken after fresh tests confirmed their conformity with the standards.
ACI and Pran were among 47 companies who were found responsible for producing 52 food items not fit for consumption. The High Court Division banned the sale of the products on May 12.
Consumer rights campaigners said that Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution, or BSTI, decision to allow manufacturers resume product manufacturing before their recall was completed would hurt consumers’ interest.
‘We call on the authorities to release full information regarding withdrawal of all banned food products,’ Consumers Association of Bangladesh president Ghulam Rahman told New Age.
He said that the companies must reveal how many of their products failed to meet the standards and how many of the substandard products could be recalled by them from the market.
‘They must face action for selling substandard products even after they were banned,’ said Ghulam Rahman.
BSTI deputy director Reazul Haque, who was in charge of the drive against 52 substandard products, did not have an answer ready to allay concerns raised by consumer rights activists.
The samples tested during the fresh BSTI test was supplied by the producers. Samples of the previous tests that proved many products uneatable were collected from the market.
Reazul did not have any idea about how many of the banned products were actually withdrawn from the market by their producers.
‘It cannot be said with certainty that all substandard products had been withdrawn from the market,’ he said.
Two BSTI teams that visited shops at Khilgaon, Taltola, Dhakeshwari Mandir and Azimpur area returned empty handed as they did not find any of the banned products on sale.
On Sunday several BSTI and Bangladesh Food Safety Authority teams gave similar description after visiting mainly super stores.
Market monitoring by the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, DNCRP in short, however continued to give a completely different picture.
On Monday, banned ACI salt, Baghabari ghee, soft drink powder were found in shops at Madaripur, Mymensingh, Faridpur and Netrokona districts.
The DNCRP continued to find banned food products whenever they inspected a shop in the outlying districts.
As many as 47 manufacturers are under instruction from the High Court division to recall mustard oil, honey, lachchha semai, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, fermented milk, chanachur, biscuits, chips, flour, noodle, drinking water in jars and bottles as well as soft drink powder.
During tests, the BSTI found excessive fat or moisture in some of them, bacterial contamination in some of the products and high iron and iodine in salt.
Pran Agro Ltd, ACI Food Ltd, ACI Salt Ltd, Molla Salt Industries, City Oil Mill, Shabnam Vegetable Oil Industries Ltd, Bangladesh Edible Oil Ltd, Kashem Food Products Ltd, New Zealand Dairy Products BD Ltd, Duncan Products Ltd, Danish Food Ltd, Banalata Sweets and Bakery, Madhuban Bread and Biscuit Industries Private Ltd, Well Food and Beverage Co, Baghabari Special Ghee Co, and Madhumati Salt Industries are among the leading errant companies.