BSTI orders withdrawal of 10 substandard food products from market over quality failures

The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) has ordered the immediate withdrawal of 10 food products from the market after laboratory tests confirmed they failed to meet national quality standards. The regulatory body has also issued show-cause notices to the manufacturers, demanding an explanation as to why their licenses should not be revoked.

The directive follows a series of routine inspections conducted by the BSTI, during which samples were collected from the open market and analyzed at the agency’s state-of-the-art laboratories. While many products passed the evaluation, several brands of ghee, butter oil, and spice mixes were found to be substandard.

The testing revealed that products marketed as ghee—including the “Baghabari” brand—failed to meet the required milk fat content standards. Instead, investigators found that these items were produced using palm olein and vanaspati. Furthermore, spice products manufactured by Bombay Sweets and Co. Ltd. were found to fall below the mandated Bangladesh Standards (BDS) across several parameters.

The list of products ordered for withdrawal includes various spice mixes from Bombay Sweets, specifically their curry powder, duck meat masala, tehari masala, kala bhuna masala, and fish masala. Additionally, the BSTI named several brands for producing substandard ghee and butter oil, including Baghabari Premium Ghee’s “Baghabari” brand, Kishoreganj Food Products’ “Arun Baghabari” brand, Mamun Food Products’ “New Radhuni” and “City” brands, and Elders Food Products and Packaging Industries’ “Elders” brand butter oil.

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BSTI Director General Kazi Emdadul Haque stated that licensed companies have a legal and ethical obligation to maintain the quality of their goods. He emphasized that the agency is committed to taking strict legal action against any firm that fails to adhere to these mandates.

The agency has advised consumers to refrain from purchasing these products and to verify the BSTI certification mark, license number, production date, and expiration details before buying any packaged goods. Consumers are encouraged to report incidents of adulteration, fraud, or the misuse of BSTI certification marks by calling the hotline at 16119 or by sending an email to complaints@bsti.gov.bd.