Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) has directed to withdraw 43 brands of different products including Suresh mustard oil, Danish curry powder, Promi mustard oil and Pubali salt from markets.
The surveillance teams of BSTI purchased the products from open markets and conducted tests at its laboratory on the products and found them sub-standard, according to BSTI.
Authorities of BSTI has started intensifying its surveillance against the adulteration to protect the consumers’ rights during the ongoing Ramadan and the upcoming Eid-ul- Fitr, an official said.
As part of the move, BSTI has deployed several teams against food adulterers and fake producers of cosmetic items in order to protect consumers’ interests.
The adulterers of food and other consumers items have been active with their usual unethical tasks despite the deadly outbreak of Covid-19 disease in the country, according to BSTI.
A high official of BSTI told the FE that they have intensified anti-adulteration drives at shopping malls and kitchen markets by engaging several mobile teams led by executive magistrates for preserving consumers’ rights.
“We have intensified our ongoing drives for preserving the consumer’s rights during the ongoing Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr,” Director of BSTI Md Sajjadul Bari told the FE on Monday.
He said that a team of BSTI seized a huge quantity of sub-standard cosmetics and hair oil items worth over Tk 20 million at Chakbazar and Begum Bazar areas in the city on Sunday.
Two persons-- Md Anwar Hossain (35) and Md Nayan (19) -- were arrested and were given one year jail in this connection.
Mr Bari further said that the BSTI banned on Monday 43 products of several brands for failing to comply with its set standards.
The BSTI surveillance teams have collected samples of 521 products from open markets during the ongoing Ramadan.
Out of total 521 collected samples of products, the BSTI has earlier found 17 products as sub-standard out of 251 samples during the first phase of its screening recently.
Of the rest 270 samples, BSTI found 43 as sub-standard on Monday after screening/ examining. “We have directed them to withdraw all of their sub-standard products immediately,” the BSTI official further said.
He mentioned that they have asked the business organisations to inform the BSTI about improvement of their products quality to a desired standard level to BSTI.
Among the products the BSTI banned, some are: Suresh brand mustard oil of Narsingdi, Cauli Flower brand mustard oil of Bengal Oil Mills, Muktaghacha , Mymensingh, Rubi brand mustard oil of BL Oil mills, Mymensingh, Hilsha brand mustard oil of Padma Oil Mills, Mymensingh, Ring brand mustard oil of Rupan Oil Mills, Mymensingh, Tiger brand mustard oil of Lokhnath Oil Mills, Narsingdi, Kallani brand fortified edible oil of Ali Natural Oil Mills and Agro Industries Ltd, Jamalapur, Alus brand chips of Bombay Sweet and Company Ltd, Narayanganj, Ideal brand curry power of Ideal Agro Products, Narayanganj, Sun drop brand fruit and vegetable juice of Mymensingh Agro Ltd, Gazipur, Danish brand curry powder of Danish Foods Ltd, Narayanganj, Pubali brand Iodized salt of Pubali Salt Industries, Narayanganj, Tomato brand iodized salt of Ali Salt Industries, Narayanganj, Diganto brand iodized salt of Progati Salt Industries, Narayanganj, Turag brand mustard oil of Turag Oil Mills, Gazipur, Promi brand mustard oil of Promi Agro Foods Ltd, Dhaka, refined sugar and curry powder (Ottogi Curry Hot) imported by Fihat International Traders at Arambagh in the city, high speed diesel of Chanda Filling Station, Noudapara, Rajshahi and of Matiur Filling Station, Paba, Rajshahi, and fortified palm oil of Anis Store of Badarganj, Rangpur, fortified palm oil of nameless open drum seller, Ismail Store, Lalmonirhat, and fortified soybean oil of nameless open drum seller of Garibullah Shah Store, Patgram in Lalmonirhat.
BSTI mainly tests processed foods and industrial products for preserving the rights of the consumers.
Apart from BSTI, other government agencies such as Directorate of National Consumers Rights Protection (DNCRP) under the Ministry of Commerce are also carrying out market monitoring drives for preserving interests of the consumers.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com
