High Court orders to remove 52 substandard products from market
The High Court on Sunday ordered the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) and the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) to remove 52 substandard products from the market without any delay.
All of the 52 products failed the quality tests of Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI).
The HC also ordered the BFSA and DNCRP authorities to take action against the persons involved in supplying and selling those products.
An HC bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil passed the order after holding a primary hearing on a writ petition filed by lawyer Shihab Uddin Khan on behalf of Conscious Consumers Society (CCS) on Thursday.
The court also ordered to stop manufacture and marketing of all the 52 products until those pass in retests by BSTI.
The court also drew the prime minister’s attention to began drives against adulteration of foods like that of anti-drugs drive.
On Thursday, the court asked an official of BSTI and BFSA each to appear before it Sunday (today) to explain their stance over the issue. It issued the orders after listening to their arguments.
Lawyer Shihab Uddin Khan moved in favour of the writ while deputy attorney general Mokhlesur Rahman moved for the state and lawyer Faridul Islam for BFSA.
Shihab Uddin Khan said that according to media reports on 3 and 4 May, BSTI recently tested 406 food samples of 27 types.
BSTI published results of 313 products in a press conference on 2 May. Among them, samples from 52 manufacturers were found to be substandard and adulterated.
The 52 substandard products include mustard oil of City Oil, Green Bleaching, and Shobnom, Rupchanda soya bean of Bangladesh Edible Oil Ltd, chips of Kashem Food; drinking water of Ara Food, Duncan, Deeghi; vermicelli of Pran, Well Food, Mishtimela, Modhubon, Mithai, Amrita, Jedda, Kiron; turmeric powder of Danish, Pran, Fresh; iodised salt of ACI, Molla Salt, Dada Super, Madhumati, Medina, Noor; soft drink powder of Shanto Food, Jahangir; curry powder of Danish, Pran; chili powder of Dolphin, Hathazari; ghee of Baghabari Special, Banalata, Shurjo.