The High Court has banned the sales of 18 types of food products from 52 consumer brands which were identified as substandard by the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution, or BSTI in a recent report.
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 released 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, reports bdnews24.com.
The 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 in Dhaka on May 3 after conducting tests 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, Wellfood, Baghabarhi Special, Pran, Jeddah, Kiron, Amrita.
Noodles:
Doodles of New Zealand Dairy.
Adulterated turmeric powder:
Danish, Fresh, Baghabarhi Special, Pran, Sun.
Coriander powder:
ACI Pure.
Chips:
Sun of Quasem Food Products.