Dhaka: The High Court on Sunday asked the authorities concerned to remove immediately from the market 52 food items of different local brands failed quality tests of Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI).

The HC bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Palash Mahmud, executive director of Conscious Consumer Society (CCS) in the form of public interest litigation, reports the UNB.

The court also directed the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) and Directorate of National Consumers’ Right Protection to comply with the order and submit a report within 10 days.

It also ordered stopping production and marketing of those products until their quality is improved.

Lawyer Shihab Uddin Khan stood for the petitioner, Faridul Islam for BFSA, and Barrister M R Hasan for BSTI.

Earlier on May 9, the High Court asked an official of BSTI and BFSA each to appear before it on Sunday (today) to explain their stance over the issue. 

According to media reports published on May 3-4, BSTI recently tested 406 food samples of 27 types.

They’ published results of 313 products and among them, samples from 52 manufacturers were found to be substandard and adulterated.

The 52 substandard products include Teer mustard oil of City Oil, Green Bleaching, Shobnom, Rupchanda soya bean of Bangladesh Edible Oil Ltd, chips of Kashem Food; drinking water of Ara Food, Duncan, Deeghi; vermicelli of Pran, Well Food, Mishtimela, Modhubon, Mithai, Amrita, Jedda, Kiron; turmeric powder of Danish, Pran, Fresh, Dolphin, Manjil; iodized salt of ACI, Molla Salt, Dada Super, Madhumati, Medina, Noor; soft drink powder of Shanto Food, Jahangir; curry powder of Danish, Pran; chili powder of Dolphin, Hathazari; ghee of Baghbari Special, Banalata, Shurjo.