BSTI orders immediate withdrawal of 10 food items from markets

The Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institution (BSTI) has ordered authorities concerned to immediately withdraw 10 food products from markets including spices from Bombay Sweets and Baghabari Ghee.

In recent laboratory tests these products failed to meet minimum safety standards, the BSTI said in a press release on Wednesday.

The concerned companies have also been served show cause notices, asking them to explain why the BSTI licenses for the selected products will not be withdrawn owing to their substandard materials, the press release said.

BSTI has urged consumers to avoid buying the products, according to the release.

In the lab tests, BSTI has found that Baghabari Ghee contains palm oil and Banaspati instead of milk fat, while the curry spices from Bombay Sweets and Co contain higher than allowed amount of total ash and salt.

Abnormal amount of total ash can be used to artificially increase the weight of a spice item.

The 10 blacklisted products include ghee from Baghabari Premium Ghee company, Arun Baghabari Ghee from Kishoreganj Food Products, “New Radhuni Ghee” from M/S Mamun Food Product, “City Ghee” from M/S Mamun Food Product, and Elders branded butter oil from Elders Food Products and Packaging Industries.

Furthermore, Bombay Sweets’ specialised spice products for duck meat, tehari, kala bhuna, beef and fish have been blacklisted.