Nestlé, Meghna, SA Group Officials Face Warrants Over ‘Substandard’ Food Quality

Special Metropolitan Magistrate Nusrat Sahara Bithi of the Pure Food Court issued arrest warrants against senior officials of Nestlé Bangladesh, Meghna Sugar Refinery Limited, and SA Group in three separate cases filed by Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Food Inspector Kamrul Hasan under the Safe Food Act 2013.

The warrants target individuals including Nestlé Bangladesh Managing Director Dipal Abe Bikrama, Meghna Sugar Refinery Founder Mostofa Kamal, and SA Group Chairman Md Shahabuddin Alam, following test results that allegedly showed their products were substantially below the national quality standards set by the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI).

Key Allegations Against Companies: Nestlé: KitKat Fails Quality Parameters The Charge: Nestlé allegedly marketed imported KitKat chocolate-coated wafers from Dubai without mandatory BSTI certification. Test Findings (Samples from Shwapno): Milk Solids: 9.31% detected vs. required 12-14%., Milk Fat: 1.23% detected vs. required 2.5-3.5%., Acidity (Wafer): 2.32% detected, exceeding the BSTI maximum limit of 1%. Inspector's View: Low milk solids and milk fat suggest insufficient dairy content for a chocolate product. Only Indian-made KitKat passed tests.

Nestlé's Defense: The company disputes the claim, stating no BSTI standard exists for KitKat and arguing the tests were conducted in a non-accredited laboratory. They also claimed customs cleared the consignment based on a BCSIR fitness report, which the inspector refutes as marketing clearance.

Other Issues: Inconsistent packaging was noted, with some packets bearing BSTI logos and others missing them. Meghna Sugar Refinery: Low Sucrose, Sulphur Dioxide Found

The Charge: A sugar sample from Meghna Sugar Refinery Limited failed quality tests. Test Findings:

Sucrose: 77.35% detected vs. BSTI minimum requirement of 99.70%. Sulphur Dioxide: 0.08 ppm detected vs. BSTI requirement of zero presence. Ash Content: 0.404% detected vs. standard 0.5%. Inspector's View: The low sucrose level suggests the use of artificial sweeteners, and the presence of sulphur dioxide indicates prohibited whitening processes. Meghna's Defense: The company claims the allegations are baseless and part of a conspiracy, noting they have been selling sugar since 2002 without any complaints of illness and release all products after BSTI approval. SA Group: Goalini Milk Powder Lacks Protein and Cream The Charge: Goalini Full Cream Milk Powder allegedly contained significantly below-standard protein and milk fat levels.

Test Findings: Protein: 9.5% detected vs. BSTI required 34%. Milk Fat (Cream): 7.58% detected vs. BSTI required 42%.

SA Group's Defense: The company claims they were unaware of the cases before media reports and described the allegations as baseless.