The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) has ordered the immediate withdrawal of eight products manufactured by four companies after laboratory tests found them to be non-compliant with national quality and safety standards.
In a statement issued today (20 July), the standards regulator said the products failed to meet Bangladesh Standards due to excessive preservatives, the presence of harmful microorganisms, or failure to meet required quality specifications.
According to BSTI, Fresh Garden Agro Resources’ mango pickle was found to contain preservatives above the permissible limit.
Meanwhile, Kazi Food Industries Limited’s Bellissimo ice cream failed to comply with standards as its total milk solids non-fat (TMSNF) content exceeded the prescribed level.
The regulator also detected harmful microorganisms in several personal care products manufactured by Olive Bangladesh Limited. The affected products include Labonno Milk Skin Lotion, Labonno Aloe Vera Skin Lotion, Olive and Labonno Moringa Matcha Facewash, Foaming Milk Facewash, Tulsi Facewash and Labonno Aloe Vera Shampoo.
In addition, Deco Foods Limited’s Deco Fruit Funda Mango and Orange soft drink powder variants were found to contain lower-than-required levels of vitamin C.
BSTI said it has already issued rejection notices to the companies concerned, directing them to suspend the production, sale and distribution of the affected products until their licences are renewed or fresh approval is obtained.
The companies have also been instructed to immediately withdraw the products from distributors, dealers, retailers and markets across the country.
BSTI said it will monitor compliance with the directive and warned that legal action would be taken against companies failing to follow the instructions.
Kazi Imdadul Haque, director general (secretary) of BSTI, said the regulator remains committed to ensuring consumers have access to safe and quality products.
He advised consumers to check the BSTI certification mark, licence number, manufacturing date and expiry date before purchasing products.
The BSTI chief also urged consumers to report complaints related to product quality, adulteration, fraud or misuse of the BSTI certification mark to the regulator.
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