The High Court has banned the sales of 52 types of food products from several leading consumer brands which were identified as substandard by the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) in a recent report, according to bdnews24.com.
The court barred the production of the impugned items until the BSTI standards are met and ordered that the products be removed from stores and destroyed immediately.
The bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil issued the order on Sunday after hearing a petition based on the BSTI report published by the commerce ministry.
The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority and Directorate of National Consumers' Right Protection have been given 10 days to implement the order and report back to the court.
The next hearing of the petition is scheduled for May 23.
BSTI identified 18 substandard food products of 52 brands, including popular edible oil of Teer, Rupchanda, and Pusti.
The popular ACI and Molla brands are among salts with adulterated iodine, a BSTI report found.
BSTI released the list of the products at a news conference on May 03 after testing consumer products ahead of Ramadan.
The institution covertly collected 406 samples of 27 types of products which are commonly used in preparing food items for Sahri and Iftar, the BSTI said in a statement.
The companies that own the brands of the substandard products have already been served notices for explanation and measures will be taken against them shortly, it said.
The BSTI list of substandard products include:
Mustard oil
Teer of City Oil, Rupchanda of Bangladesh Edible Oil, Pusti of Shabnam Vegetable Oil, GB of Green Blessings Oil
Salt with adulterated iodine
ACI, Molla, Madhumati, Dada Super, Tin Teer, Madina, Starship, Taz, Noor
Lachchha vermicelli
Mishtimela, Madhuban, Mithai, Well Food, Baghabarhi Special, Pran, Jeddah, Kiron, Amrita
Noodles
Doodley of New Zealand Dairy
Adulterated turmeric powder
Danish, Fresh, Baghabarhi Special, Pran, Sun
Coriander powder
ACI Pure
Chips
Sun of Quasem Food Products
