The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) has fined two sweet shops in Dhaka’s Nawabganj upazila a total of Tk 3 lakh for using harmful chemicals (sodium hydrosulphite) and industrial colours in food production.
The shops—Dipak Mishtanna Bhandar and Haradhan Ghosh Mishtanna Bhandar—were fined during a drive conducted at Bagmara Bazar in Nawabganj on Tuesday afternoon.
The operation was led by Mohammad Hasanuzzaman, assistant director and head of the Dhaka District Office of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection. He was accompanied by Md Shahinur Rahman, assistant director of the Dhaka Divisional Office, and Md Nazmul Islam, a district food safety officer.
During the inspection, officials found that the shops were using hydrogen in the preparation of sweets and jilapi. They also found the use of harmful industrial colours. Although the businesses were producing yoghurt and ghee, they did not have approval from the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI). Dipak Mishtanna Bhandar was also found producing sweets in an unhygienic environment.
Under the Consumer Rights Protection Act, 2009, Dipak Mishtanna Bhandar was fined Tk 200,000, while Haradhan Ghosh Mishtanna Bhandar was fined Tk 100,000 for the offences.
Hasanuzzaman said the drive was part of the Directorate’s regular market monitoring activities in Nawabganj upazila. He said the two sweet shops were fined for using hydrogen and industrial colours that are harmful to human health.
He warned that the use of any colour or chemical harmful to human health in food is strictly prohibited and urged businesses to refrain from such practices. Otherwise, he said, they would face legal action.
